through the lens
by Suituuup
Summary: It's not something she usually does; abandoning her responsibilities overnight or leaving her comfort zone. Yet, the credit card payment has been granted and the e-mail is sitting in her inbox. Looks like she's leaving for Paris in less then thirty-six hours, with no return ticket. Famous!Beca, Photographer!Chloe. Three-fold.
1. Serendipity

**serendipity:** _(n) the effect by which one accidently stumbles upon something truly wonderful, especially while looking for something entirely unrelated._

* * *

Beca hikes her equipment bag higher on her shoulder as she prepares herself for the ascension to her apartment. She lives in an old building; five flights of stairs, no elevator.

With what she makes in a year, people would think she lived in a fancy condo overlooking Central Park. But this apartment has a sentimental meaning; it's where she wrote her first songs, celebrated her first album with her closest friends, and she can't find it in herself to leave it, or her roommates, even though they can be huge pains in the ass, sometimes.

Her tired legs manage to drag her up to the door of the three-bedroom she shares with Stacie and Jesse. The fact that she can't find her keys in her bag is nearly enough to make Beca break down and cry.

She's never felt so exhausted.

She wants to plant face-first on her king-size bed and sleep for the rest of the year.

It's _May_.

The thing is, as drained as Beca is, she can't seem to find sleep when she needs to. And it's starting to show; on her face (hello, attractive dark circles that no concealer, how expensive it may be, can hide), in her quick irritability around incompetent people and her capacity to think clearly.

Not to mention that her label has been pressuring her to release her second album, but apparently fails to realize that it takes a lot more than free time to write songs. She hasn't been able to come up with any worthy lyrics for eight months now and Beca is losing sleep, and quite possibly, her sanity over it.

She feels blank, numb, and can't quite pinpoint why she feels that way.

She has friends, she loves her job, and her lifelong dream of making it big in the music industry has been fulfilled.

Yet, Beca feels empty, as if something was missing. Something that could fill the void within her. She would like to find it, under whatever form it may materialize.

Sliding the key into the lock, Beca isn't prepared for what greets her. Stacie and Jesse, her two best friends and roomates, are standing in the middle of their living-room, a big-ass sign that reads 'INTERVENTION' in big, red letters hanging above their heads and taking most of the living space.

Beca pauses, blinking twice to make sure her brain hasn't started to make things up. "What am I looking at?"

"Stacie and I are staging an intervention."

Beca's eyebrows would fly up to her hairline if she wasn't so done with everything.

What she said; huge pains in the ass sometimes, these two.

"A what now?" she questions with a groan, dropping her bag next to the door and her keys in the bowl. "Look, I really don't have time for this, I need to work on the albu-"

"Exactly!" Stacie interrupts, hands shooting up in the air and hitting her own thighs when she drops them back to her side. "Your job is eating you _up_ , Beca! When is the last time you came home before nine? When was the last time you've properly slept?"

Beca shrugs. "I don't know." A sigh flits through her lips. "I'm _fine_ , guys, I promise."

"We get that music is your passion, Bec," Jesse adds in that patronizing tone that reminds Beca of her father. "But you need to listen to your body when it's screaming for a break."

Beca folds her arms over her chest, feeling her walls building back up brick by brick. That nagging voice in her head tells her they're right and she doesn't like it one bit.

"You need to take a break before your dream becomes a nightmare. That's why we're doing this. We're pulling the plug."

Beca scoffs at Jesse's words. "What, you're going to prevent me from getting up in the morning and going to work?"

"If we have to," Stacie states with a firm nod. "I have a few pairs of handcuffs in my bedroom."

Beca grimaces. The walls in their apartment aren't thick enough to drown out Stacie's adventurous one night stands.

"Gross."

"The point is," Jesse's serious tone gets her back on track, away from the images she certainly does _not_ want to pop up in her head. "You need to take care of yourself before your health draws any serious consequences from it."

"So what am I supposed to do? Stay here all day long like a caged lion?"

"Don't be so dramatic," Stacie tuts with an eyeroll. "We were more thinking along the lines of a trip. Fly to an exotic place and unwind for a few weeks. Maybe... meet someone."

Beca knows if looks could kill, Stacie would be dead on the spot. That's prohibited territory. Yes, she's alone. It's been that way for years, and Beca is fine with it. Finding love, or her soulmate, or something as trivial is _not_ on her list of priorities right now.

Of course she's had the occasional boyfriends here or there; Jesse being her most serious relationship to date. But that ship has sailed long ago, for both of them, and they realized they worked much better as friends.

Plus, she's busy.

Since her album release and the unparalleled response that followed, Beca's schedule has been increasingly hectic with its promotion, a US tour and the making of her second album.

So yeah, she's just a little bit famous.

People recognize her everywhere she goes, even when she does simple things, such as going grocery shopping. She doesn't really like that aspect of success but figures it comes with the territory. She's fine with it, now that she's gotten used to it.

Expects for the paparazzi. These people shouldn't even be graced with the honor of being called _people_.

"I..." Beca's words die on the tip of her tongue as she processes her friend's words. She feels the oncoming headache press against her frontal lobe and clenches her teeth. With a resigned sigh, she lets her shoulders slump. "I need to sleep on that. I'll see you guys in the morning."

Hours later, Beca lies awake, hands folded over her stomach as she stares at the patch of orange light shaped on the ceiling by the ray of street light filtering through the gap in the curtains.

Jesse and Stacie's advice keep worming their way into her mind, driving it restless. Maybe they _are_ right. Maybe she does need take a break.

A break from her job, a break from New York, the fame, and the life she's led so far.

Reaching for her computer, Beca sits up and balances it on her lap as she clicks it back to life.

Without so much as a second thought, she opens up her browser and searches for flights.

She's not the kind of person that does this; picking out a random flight and abandoning her routine or her responsibilities overnight.

But Beca suddenly feels the pressing need to come out of her comfort zone and embark on something bold and unpredictable.

She wants to get away, to discover new things and new places.

As her eyes scroll over the page results, she realizes she has no idea where she wants to go. As nice as an exotic island sounds, Beca knows perfectly well she'll get bored out of her mind after two days spent lounging on the beach.

She needs to find a place which offers rich heritage and culture.

After more browsing, Beca finds herself clicking on a flight to Paris in a couple days. She knows the more she thinks about it, the more likely she is to back down.

Mere minutes later, her credit card payment has been granted, and the confirmation e-mail is sitting in her inbox. Beca briefly wonders if her passport is actually valid, then remembers she had to get one two years ago to suffer through her dad and the step monster's wedding in Mexico.

"What the hell am I doing?" she whispers to herself, blinking at her computer screen. It's too late now; she has just spent $200 on a plane ticket with no return date.

But that's not really the point. She doesn't really care about the wasted money if she decided not to go in the end. The point is, she made up her mind about this impromptu trip, and Beca is too stubborn to go back on her decisions.

Not going through with her plan would feel like a failure, and she doesn't have it in her to take another one of those.

Besides, she has always wanted to visit France. Living off of fine wine and gourmet cheese for a couple weeks seems like a proper way to unwind.

As she finally feels sleep starting to claim her, Beca makes a mental note to look for her passport tomorrow, and maybe buy an English to French dictionary.

/

"Am I crazy?" Beca wonders out-loud as Stacie drives her to the airport thirty-six hours later. Her friend chuckles, flicking on her blinker to get off the highway towards JFK. "I'm completely crazy."

"Nah. I'm proud of you for doing this, going on an adventure. Besides, I heard somewhere that French people are sexy as hell."

Beca rolls her eyes and sits back, attempting to swallow back her anguish as the airport comes into view.

"And you can always come home whenever you want if you don't like it, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Once she stands in front of Security, a cap screwed on her head and sunglasses covering her eyes, her ultimate weapons against paparazzi recognizing her, Beca can feel the nerves twisting her guts in waves.

"You'll be fine," Stacie assures her with a smile, squeezing her arms as she pulls back from the hug. "This is a good thing!"

"Yeah, okay." Beca nods, more to her benefit than Stacie's. "It's a good thing, yeah."

"Let me know when you land, alright?"

Beca takes a deep breath. "I will. Bye, weirdo."

Beca spins on her heels before she can beg Stacie to take her back to their apartment and forget about this whole thing.

"Love you!" she hears from behind her and waves at Stacie blindly, knowing she is still perfectly capable of changing her mind if she turns around.

Here we go.

/

Despite the jet-lag, Beca sleeps for nearly two whole days when she gets to the French capital.

It dawns on her how sleep-deprived she has been all this time. She wakes up on the third day feeling a bit more rested, and energetic enough to explore the city.

After stretching and lounging some more in her hotel room bed, Beca showers (for the first time since she got here, too, so she's slightly grossed out), dresses, makes sure to slip her credit and key card, some euros, her sunglasses and her phone (data switched off as to not be bothered by anyone back home) in the pockets of her jacket before she's out the door.

Towards a new adventure!

But first, coffee. The adventure can wait until _after_ she's got her caffeine fix. She's only human.

She realizes fives minutes into her quest that she forgot her English to French dictionary in her hotel room. She shrugs to herself, figuring she will manage without it.

As she walks further down the street, Beca tries to wrack her brain for any leftover French from high school. She knows the basics, like _please_ , _thank you_ and _goodbye_ , but it pretty much stops there. And she doesn't want to be that person who can't bother trying to speak the language of the country they are in and expect everyone she meets to speak next-to perfect English.

She's about to step into this nice little coffee shop in the corner of a busy street, eyes cast down on the map she picked up at the visitor's center, when she collides with someone walking out.

The coffee they are holding spills onto Beca and its owner's shirt with the impact.

"Oh my God!" Beca exclaims, gasping both from startle and the hot liquid seeping into her shirt. So much for a good start to her vacation. She immediately bends down to pick up her map and the book the person was holding. "I'm so sorry! Shit, no that's English... Je suis..." Beca pauses to think and grunts. "Ugh, what's the word again! Oh! Désolée?"

Beca glances up for the first time since the encounter and nearly chokes on her saliva upon finding the bluest eyes she has ever seen staring down at her.

"Ce n'est rien," the woman replies with a kind smile while Beca stands. Her hand is warm and soft as it cups Beca's elbow to pull her to the side, and Beca wonders what she is doing, before she realizes they were blocking the door. It appears Parisians are in a rush to get their coffee in the morning. "Je ne regardais pas où j'allais."

Beca blinks twice in slow succession. She knew French language sounded sexy but, _hot damn_ , she thinks she might be experiencing a slight fever from how hot her body feels all of the sudden.

Also, she has no clue what that stranger just told her.

"Je..." She curses under her breath, shoulders dropping in mild-frustration. "I'm sorry, I don't speak French."

"Oh, vous ne parlez pas français?" Beca frowns, shaking her head helplessly. "Well that's okay, we can always speak English."

Beca's jaw hangs open. Scowling, she glares at the other woman. "You knew I could only speak English from the beginning and you kept this charade going?"

The redhead shrugs with a coy grin, "Yeah. You looked cute, all flustered and embarrassed."

If Beca managed to reign in the blush until now, it's certainly gains the upper hand. The heat radiates off her cheeks and moves down her neck when it runs out of space.

She briefly wonders if all French people flirt so easily, or if it's just that one.

Beca clears her throat, hoping her voice doesn't go into that squeaky tone that makes her sound like an animated character whenever she gets embarrassed.

"I'm not _cute_ ," she mumbles with a shudder, then promptly moves on. "But I'm not a jerk either, and I did ruin your coffee along with both our shirts so I could buy you another one? Coffee, that is."

The stranger waves her off, "Don't worry about it."

Beca isn't having any of it. It's the least she can do. "Is it just black?"

The woman seems to hesitate, before giving in to a smile. She nods. "Yeah. Thanks."

She doesn't follow Beca inside, and when the brunette steps back outside with two to-go-cups, she hands one of them to the stranger, along with her book, which she awkwardly kept in her hand after picking it up. She notes it's a book about photography.

"Thank you."

"No sweat. Have a nice day."

After offering an awkward wave, Beca chooses a seat on the terrace bathed in the morning sunshine. One of her eyebrows hikes up when the woman swiftly sits across from her.

She decides, here and then, that French people are super weird. Like, _hello,_ boundaries?!

Beca pauses, cup mid-way to her mouth. "Um, yes?"

"So, what brings you to Paris?" The woman asks breezily, as if inviting herself to a stranger's table and striking up conversation was the most natural thing to do. Beca's mouth opens and closes several times, not sure if she should ask her to find another table or actually answer the question.

She lowers her coffee. "Uh, I needed a break from life, I guess?"

What the _hell_?

The woman hums. "That's a loaded answer," She attests with a slight frown, and Beca really can't contradict her. Her demeanor brightens a second later, a beaming smile spreading across her face. "I'm Chloe, by the way!"

Beca stares down at the hand thrust across the table, before slipping her own into it with a wary expression. That girl is way too enthusiast for Beca's liking, yet she can't find it in herself to tell her to go away.

Huh.

"I'm Beca."

"Is this your first time here, Beca?" Chloe asks, leaning forward in interest. Beca feels slightly victimized by the blues staring at her and the way her name on the stranger's tongue makes a chill run down her spine.

She really needs to pull herself together before this gets out of hand.

"Um, yeah. I basically bought the cheapest last-minute flight that could get me out of the US."

"Wow," Chloe lets out, sitting back. She looks like she wants to inquire some more, but to Beca's relief, she doesn't. Not that she would have answered them anyway, but she could go without having to bite Chloe's head off. It would feel like kicking a puppy. "Well, Paris is a great destination. I've lived here for a while so I can tell you what's worth seeing or even show you around, if you'd like!"

Beca tries not to wince. The offer is nice, but still, super weird, not to mention straightforward. "I, uh, no, that's okay. Thanks, though."

"Oh." There's that kicked-puppy expression Beca dreaded. She has to hand it to this Chloe girl, it's quite well mastered and it makes Beca squirm in her chair in guilt. Nonetheless, Chloe gives her a small smile as she stands. "Okay, then. Well, I hope you enjoy the city!"

"Wait!" Beca calls out after a stretch. She closes her eyes, scrunching up her nose. She really has no clue what she's doing.

There are strong chances this woman is a crazy fan of hers who recognized her and now wants to drag Beca to a secluded alley to... kill her?

Okay. Now she's being irrational. Why would her fan want to kill her?

Beca tries to convince herself this is a good idea. Maybe having someone from the city showing her around wouldn't be so bad. It's so big and versatile that she wouldn't know where to begin.

Besides, she did tell herself she would try and do something new during this trip.

Apparently, trusting a complete stranger is _that_ something.

"I guess it could be nice of you to show me around."

The tiny squeal that leaves Chloe's mouth as she bounces on the balls of her feet makes Beca reevaluate her decision. It's kind of too late now, so she pushes her wariness aside and offers Chloe a tiny smile.

"Can I finish my coffee first before you drag me around?" she asks with a smirk, motioning towards her cup sitting on the table.

"Oh! Totes!"

Oh great, she even speaks the language of the youth. Beca internally shudders.

What was she _thinking_ , agreeing to this?

"So you said you grew up here?" Beca prods, settling for a neutral conversation opener as Chloe slides back into her seat. "How come your English is so perfect?"

"Well, both my parents are American, but I was born here. We lived in France until I was about ten, then moved to the US because of my dad's job. I moved back here a couple years ago after college for my own job."

Beca nods, taking a sip before asking, "What do you do?"

"I'm a photographer," Chloe states simply. Beca realizes the bulky bag strapped to her back most likely contains a camera and not a gun. Or a telescopic shovel to bury her body once Chloe's killed her. "I find that Paris offers a lot more subjects to work on than any other cities in the world."

Beca could easily argue with that. Her heart and soul lies in New York. The Big Apple is incredibly versatile, populated with eclectic and vibrant souls. Each part of the city has its own character and flavor and Beca could not see herself live anywhere else.

"What about you?"

"Mm?"

Chloe giggles. "What do you do?"

Okay, so maybe not a crazy fan after all. Unless she wants to remain undercover for whatever reason.

Beca decides not to dwell too much on that.

Speaking of undercover, Beca ponders on whether she should tell this near-stranger her real job and risk having Chloe look her up online and start acting weird (well, weird _er_ ). She likes being simple. That is the point of this trip after all, to stir away from fame as much as possible.

She realizes she has been silent for a long stretch when she notes Chloe's quizzical expression.

"I'm uh, undecided. I work in the music industry but I'm in between jobs right now."

There. Not a total lie, but not the complete truth either. That will do for now.

"You work in music!? That's awesome! Like, a producer of some sort?" Chloe's eyes grow comically wide and Beca tries not to wince. She should have gone for janitor or accountant. Something too boring to draw any interest from her new acquaintance, who lets out a sudden sharp gasp that startles Beca. "Or a singer! Are you a singer?!"

"No," Beca interrupts before Chloe can get any more excited. She will not hold herself responsible for the girl fainting. "I'm at the bottom of the scale and I needed a break from my job, hence why I decided to up and leave. I ended up here."

Okay, she might be stirring away from the truth. But then again, it's not like she's going to see this woman again after a couple hours spent touring the city, so it doesn't really matter.

Next thing Beca knows, Chloe's hand is somehow covering hers and it takes everything inside her not to snatch it back and curl it into her chest, protecting it from the assault.

"Well, I think you've made an amazing decision. Nobody should suffer from a stressful job."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Alright! Can we go, now?" Chloe asks and Beca is glad for the change of subject. She doesn't like when conversation stirs towards her too much.

Besides, Chloe child-like excitement is palpable and it makes Beca chuckle.

"Yes. Wanna give me back my hand?" she prompts with a pointed look to where Chloe is still holding onto her fingers.

"Oh!" she lets out, retracting it as if burned. Flushing lightly, she adds a sheepish, "Sorry."

"No need to apologize, I didn't _hate_ it."

Beca clears her throat. She sounds less and less like herself. Maybe she does have a fever after all. That would explain the delirious things her brain is not filtering properly.

"Good to know," Chloe tells her with a wink that Beca can feel ripple all the way down her toes. She stands and Beca follows suit after testing the capacity of her tingling limbs, taking both empty cups to throws them in the nearby trashcan. "Any place that you would like to tick off from your list first?"

"Um," Beca tucks her hair behind both ears as they start down the street. "I don't have a list, per say. Like I told you, I came here on a whim and haven't looked up anything about the city, really."

"Oh, well that's okay," Chloe says, angling her body toward Beca's as they fall into step. "Any specific interest that I should know about so I can nail this guide thing?"

Beca purses her lips as she thinks. "Architecture, art, and music, obviously. I like bookstores, too."

Chloe's entire features light up at that, as if Beca had just told her Christmas was tomorrow. She seems like the kind of girl who, unlike Beca, gets excited over the holiday.

"I know exactly where to begin," she grasps Beca's hand to tug her along and Beca thinks she really doesn't need to be led around like a child, yet she can't find it in herself to complain.

She tries to ignore the way her heart quickens when, after a few seconds Chloe doesn't let go, and prays that her palm doesn't get too clammy.

/

The day turns out to be the opposite of what Beca expected. As they left the café, she was already bracing herself for awkward lengths of silence, or even _worse_ , small talk.

None of this had the time to occur though, as Chloe barely allowed herself to breathe while she entertained Beca with tales of her city through undeniable enthusiasm.

She first took Beca for a stroll along the Seine, where small pop-up shops take up most of the docks. Beca learned that they are called the "Bouquinistes de Paris", people who sell used and antiquarian works. They stopped to visit Notre-Dame-de-Paris, which is just as impressive as Beca expected it to be.

It got even more entertaining when Chloe threw fun facts about the history of the monument here and there, all the while without coming across as a show-off. She clearly loves her city and knows it like the back of her hand, and Beca finds herself hanging onto every word coming out of her mouth.

"I want to show you something," Chloe says when they step out of the cathedral's shadows and into the warm sunshine.

"Wait, I'm confused," Beca starts as she lowers her shades, Chloe's head turning towards her questioningly. "Isn't that what you've been doing the whole time?"

Giving Beca an eye-roll, Chloe shoves her lightly as Beca snickers. "Smart-ass. Come on,"

She grabs Beca's hand once again and excitedly pulls her towards the center of the square, stopping once they stand by a concrete circle on the ground adorned with a bronze star in its center. A French sentence wraps around its edges, but Beca doesn't know what it says.

"What am I looking at?"

"This basically translates as 'Starting point to all French destinations'. It's the point from which distances are measured from Paris to other cities in France. Mile zero, if you prefer," Chloe looks up at her and shrugs. "I like to think that all roads lead to Notre-Dame."

Beca smiles. "That's cool."

And she doesn't say it to be polite; she genuinely thinks all those fun-facts Chloe shares with her are interesting and worth knowing. She starts to think that letting a near stranger lead her around the city wasn't so bad of a decision, after all.

That this impromptu trip was exactly what she needed.

"I think so, too." Chloe beams, then gasps, like she does every time she's struck with an idea. Beca can almost see a light-bulb materialize above her head each time it happens. "I should take your picture in front of Notre-Dame, that would be a nice souvenir!"

Beca winces. "No thank you, I'm not one for pictures."

She was never really one to begin with, refusing to smile when her parents would coax her into getting her picture, even at a young age. The few bad experiences she's had with paparazzi over the last couple of years have made her wary around cameras. It got to the point where she nearly experiences PTSD whenever she sees a camera flash, even if she isn't the one taken in picture.

"Oh," Chloe's tone is again laced with disappointment and while Beca would like to accept the offer, it's too much of a stretch out of her comfort zone.

"Come on," Beca is the one to say for once. She jerks her head towards... somewhere. "I'm getting hungry. You know a nice place for lunch?"

A gentle smile graces Chloe's lips as she tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear when a gush of wind blows it into her face. "Of course."

They end up in a small bistro tucked in the corner of a quiet street that screams French to Beca but isn't full of tourists seeking this type of typical establishment.

It looks like a place for locals mostly, and one that Chloe often frequents judging from the way she greets the man behind the counter.

His name is Fernand and Chloe eagerly tells him about how she's made a new friend while Beca blushes like an idiot just from being the center of attention.

They sit at a table in the small inner courtyard and Chloe helps Beca choose her meal off the French menu as apparently this place is even too local to offer an English version.

Beca isn't about to complain. She could hear Chloe speak French all day long. She ends up going for a roast beef with a potato gratin and ratatouille. Chloe orders the same, along with a bottle of red wine.

They spend the next hour trading light subjects about themselves over delicious food.

Every time Chloe speaks, Beca finds herself captivated by all the little things that make her who she is. Chloe talks a fair amount, but without sharing too much about herself either. She mostly speaks about the places she's seen and the things she loves about Paris without sounding self-absorbed.

As lunch progresses and Beca finds herself wanting to know more about her.

As she watches Chloe laugh at one of her comments, bright smile, blue eyes sparkling and cheeks tinted pink from the wine, Beca thinks that she might be experiencing a small crush.

Beca gulps. The sun must be getting to her. Or maybe the wine.

Either way, she doesn't do _crushes_. That shit usually leads to feelings, and, _nope_.

Plus, she's known the woman for a grand total of three hours.

They spend the rest of the day milling about, Chloe taking pictures as they go and Beca watching Chloe take pictures with a stupid grin on her face, all the while scolding her heart to stop this ridiculous charade.

As the afternoon stretches into the evening, she knows her time with Chloe is about to draw to an end, and Beca isn't ready to part ways.

Luckily (even though she doesn't see it that way at first), fate decides otherwise.

Beca is aware of the first flash before Chloe is, and stops dead in her tracks. Noticing that Beca isn't by her side anymore, Chloe halts too, looking back at the brunette with a puzzled expression.

Beca doesn't know if they are in a busy part of Paris where many celebrities hang about or if it was somehow leaked that she is in the French capital, but she sure as hell knows she wants to vanish from this place as quickly as possible.

"Beca?" Chloe asks, confusion etched in her features from the abrupt halt.

"Mrs. Mitchell!"

The first shout shakes her to the core. More flashes, and soon both women are surrounded by a handful of people equipped with heavy cameras, practically shoving their lenses into her face.

"What are you doing in Paris?"

"Are you here on vacation?"

"Who's the girl?"

If Chloe looks genuinely shocked by Beca's dramatic identity reveal, she soon kicks into gear. Grabbing Beca's hand gently, she laces their fingers and lightly tugs to get Beca moving.

Beca doesn't really register what happens in the next few minutes. They quickly wind through small streets and alleys, steadily outrunning the mob of photographers chasing after them.

Eventually after a few minutes or half-hour, Beca can't be certain, Chloe stops at a building door and pulls it open, walking up a couple of stories before unlocking and pushing another door open.

Once inside, Beca bends at the waist, bracing her hands over her knees as she breathes in and out deeply, trying to get her nerves under control. When she finally does and looks up, Chloe is nowhere in sight. Beca figures she is most likely standing in Chloe's living-room.

It's small and cozy, but the high ceilings give it an impression of unlimited space. The walls are white and plain, but the green plants, the colorful, vintage pieces of wooden furniture and the framed pictures tastily arranged around the room give it plenty of life.

Steps on the creaking hardwood floors snap her attention to the doorway behind her. Chloe has taken off her jacket and shoes, and is walking towards Beca with a glass of water in her hand.

"Here," she offers it to Beca, who takes it with a grateful smile and gulps it in one go before joining Chloe on her couch. The redhead observes her for a few seconds, drawing one of her knees to her chest and wrapping an arm around it, chin resting on top. "So you're pretty famous, huh?"

Beca closes her eyes. Of course Chloe would think differently of her now. There's no way they can keep acting like the carefree people they were today now that she knows.

She gives Beca a small, genuine smile before her eyes flick to the high windows.

"Those paps aren't going leave the area right away. It's known to attract many celebrities, especially around dinner time. That's why they were around here. You should take your jacket off. I'll see if I have anything I can cook for dinner."

Chloe stands before Beca can say anything. She's by the doorway of her kitchen, Beca assumes, when the brunette finds her voice.

"You're not going to ask me what I do?"

Chloe pauses and spins on her feet, head tilting to the side."Do you want to tell me what you do? Because it doesn't seem like it,"

Her tone isn't bitter, but light and understanding. It's comforting.

"And I don't really care that you're a celebrity. It doesn't change the fact that I enjoy being in your company," Chloe purses her lips, brow furrowing. "Wait, are you some sort of famous porn-star?"

Beca knows she's probably turned the same shade as her red plaid shirt. "Um, no. That's not it."

"I'm just teasing you, Bec," The nickname has Beca raise an eyebrow. Chloe doesn't acknowledge it and adds, "So, would you like to stay for dinner?"

Beca's mouth opens and closes several times without any actual word being produced. She eventually nods.

"Awes!" Chloe exclaims, resuming her journey out of the room. Beca hears the clatter of pans knocking together and Chloe's soft voice humming a tune she doesn't recognize.

She finally gets rid of her jacket, leaving her in her stained tee and her shirt. Beca then takes off her shoes, because her feet are killing her after all the walking, and tucks them neatly by the door before tentatively hovering by the kitchen doorway.

Sensing her presence, Chloe looks over her shoulder and smiles again, that smile that warms Beca's insides and calms her at the same time.

"I hope you know by now that I don't bite."

Beca rolls her eyes at herself and takes a few steps forward, slipping her hands into the back pockets of her jeans as she comes to a stop in the middle of the room. There's no island or table for her to sit at, so she moves a couple steps to her left to lean back against the counter.

"What were you humming just now? It didn't sound familiar."

Chloe glances at her briefly as she retrieves two wine glasses from the cupboard over her head, and then her silky voice is filling the room once more.

" _La caille, la tourterelle, et la jolie perdrix, et ma jolie colombe, qui chante jour et nuit..._ " Beca feels her mouth dry up, eyes following Chloe as she moves around to get the wine out of the fridge and pour some in the glasses. " _Auprès de ma blonde, qu'il fait bon, fait bon, fait bon. Auprès de ma blonde, qu'il fait bon dormir._ "

Beca blinks when she realizes Chloe's singing has drawn to an end. She accepts the glass of wine extended to her and considers downing it in one go in hope of cooling down her system.

Instead, the warm, rich liquid coats her tongue with a strong, pleasant grape flavor and heats her stomach as it goes down. There's no biting aftertaste like with the cheap wine she used to get drunk on in college.

"Your voice is beautiful," she compliments, voice thick with something she can't quite place.

Chloe shrugs, but her cheeks get pinker as she sets up a chopping board and takes a tomato out of the paper bag she set on the counter while she sang. "It's nothing special."

"Being in the music industry, I think I know what I'm talking about," She says somewhat smugly before she really thinks it through. Chloe pauses, cocking an eyebrow at Beca over her shoulder.

"Are you flirting with me, Beca?"

Beca licks her lips, shuffling awkwardly on her feet. She can feel her heart picking up in pace. "I don't know, is that-is that cool?"

Beca shudders internally at her wording. She considers facepalming.

"Yeah," Chloe's breathy tone travels the length of her spine in a shiver. Her eyes are twinkling with amusement when she adds, "It's cool."

Beca swallows and takes another gulp of her wine. She feels giddy all over, much like a teenager when around their crush.

"Good to know."

Chloe chuckles. "Are you going to just stand there or help me?"

Beca's eyes widen and she sets her glass down immediately. "Right! Of course, what can I do?" she stops panicking when Chloe's giggle reaches her ears and squints at her. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Chloe is quick to dismiss. "You're just very cute when you get flustered."

Beca growls and attempts to glare at Chloe, but somehow she knows it doesn't come across as intimidating as she aims it to be.

"Tomatoes, you can chop the tomatoes while I take care of the pasta."

Chloe leaves the room for a bit, which provides Beca with a bit of time alone to get a hold of herself. This woman is doing strange things to her, things that she hasn't felt around anyone in a long time. She feels comfortable around her even though they've only just met and knows there's no other place she'd rather be, but in the intimacy of Chloe's home, graced with Chloe's presence.

Music is filling the apartment when Chloe comes back, and Beca quickly recognizes Chet Faker's _Talk is Cheap_. She smiles fondly; clearly Chloe not only has good taste in home decor, but in music as well.

Chloe is now wearing a white shirt and navy, loose fitting yoga pants, and her hair is pulled up in a messy bun.

Such a simple and relaxed look, yet Beca thinks she is absolutely stunning.

"I figured you might want to change into a clean shirt?" She says, and only then does Beca realize she's holding said shirt. She nods, taking it with a thakful smile.

"Thanks."

"Bathroom is down the hall to the right."

Beca quickly changes and pulls her coffee-free plaid shirt back over the clean one. She takes a minute to gather up her courage, praying that her awkwardness won't ruin the rest of an already-perfect day, save for the paparazzi ordeal.

Because she knows she wants to kiss Chloe before the night is over.

Chloe isn't in the kitchen anymore when she comes out of the bathroom. Beca finds her in the living room, stretched out over the corner of the L-shape couch while she fiddles with her phone.

"Already googling me?" Beca deadpans as she settles on the opposite end, sitting indian-style across from Chloe.

Chloe snickers, training her eyes away from the screen towards Beca. "Get over yourself. And no, I like to keep a little bit of mystery."

"Oh, okay. Cool." Beca accepts in pleasant surprise, lifting her wine glass off the table (Chloe has moved it there, she assumes) to her lips and taking a sip. "Are we done cooking already?"

"Pasta with homemade tomato sauce isn't exactly rocket science," Chloe tells her with a small laugh. "I hope you weren't expecting something too sophisticated."

"It's perfect, Chloe," Beca assures her, because it is.

It's simple, but Beca can't remember the last time she ate a home-cooked meal. She has been living on take-out and restaurant outings for the last couple of years.

They share a soft smile, and Beca breaks eye-contact to take in her surroundings with more attention than when she last was in the room. "Did you take those pictures?"

"Most, yes. A few others are from photographers who inspire me."

Beca rises to her feet to take a closer look at the frames above the fireplace.

"Do you always shoot in black and white?" she asks curiously, noticing the repetitive pattern in each frame.

"Most of the time, yeah."

It sounds as though Chloe wants to say more, to explain why it is so, but restrains herself, perhaps out of concern of sounding boring or obsessive. Beca tilts her head, glancing back at Chloe.

"Why's that?"

The beaming expression on Chloe's face tells Beca she was right. She sits back on the couch, slightly closer from her initial spot and listens intently as Chloe unravels her love for black and white film.

"Well, it's a format that suits any type of photography; portrait, landscapes, architecture and it works out no matter how poor the light is, while the quality of a colored picture... really depends on the amount of lightning you have. That's for the technical aspect."

She pauses to take a breath, pulling a chuckle from Beca. She notes how Chloe's voice changes when she speaks about photography; it shows through her tone that it's something she needs to live, just the way Beca needs music.

"What I love the most about black and white is that you have nothing to distract you when you look at a picture. Your eyes don't have to take in each and every color; their focus can be on the subject of the photography only, and that's how you can truly capture the essence of the work."

Beca couldn't agree more. Her brain fails to register some of Chloe's words as she is too busy losing herself in the blues of Chloe's eyes. Too busy counting all the different shades and the dots of sapphire mingled here and there.

 _Yes_ , Beca comes to the same conclusion in her head, color can be extremely distracting.

She blinks, ears and brain trying to pick up the conversation where they left it off.

"-love the subtlety of tones black and white provides." Chloe falls silent, an amused smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Are you okay? You seemed off in your own world for a bit."

Beca clears her throat, shaking her head to organize her thoughts. "Something like that. Sorry. I did listen to everything you said though, and you seem to know your subject very well."

Beca grimaces; what a boring thing to say. She really needs to step up her game.

"It's captivating. Your work, that is," she adds bashfully before Chloe can say anything and points to the picture next to the window. "I think my favorite is the one with the two kids whispering to each other over there. You can tell they are up to no good from the expression on their faces. Nice catch."

Chloe follows her line of sight and smiles fondly. "Oh, yeah. They were dumping their school books in the fountain a second later to see if they floated. Their mom was _not_ amused _._ I took this at the _Jardins de la Tuilerie._ It's a place worth checking out."

"Well, if my guide says so," Beca smiles lopsidedly, glancing at Chloe. "I should definitely do that."

A beeping noise cuts through their eye-bond. Chloe is up and moving before she can, saying something about the pasta being ready. She comes back a few minutes later with two plates, two sets of cutlery and the bottle of red wine tucked under her arm, which Beca takes from her and sets down on the table after re-filling both glasses.

"Netflix?" she prods as they sit on the floor, legs stretched out under the glass coffee table and back resting against the couch.

"Sure,"

They both decide _F.R.I.E.N.D.S._ is a safe bet for an enjoyable meal. Beca has seen every episode maybe once or twice, while the show appears to be Chloe's religion. She seemingly can't stop herself from echoing some lines here and there, each time whispering a _sorry_ to Beca when she catches herself.

Beca is too busy falling for the girl head first to be bothered by it. In fact, the amusing quirk adds to the rapidly extending virtual list of things she finds endearing about Chloe.

Plates are cleared up at the end of the episode, Beca insisting on doing the dishes while Chloe runs down to the street to buy a fresh baguette from the boulangerie to go with the cheese for dessert.

"I almost expected you to come back with a beret on top of your head."

Beca quips when Chloe comes back, slightly panting from running up the stairs, she assumes, the bread tucked under her arm. Chloe winks at her in response, rosy-cheeked from the now-cool outside air.

They settle back in the living room where Beca consumes just about enough cheese to slip in a coma. She can't help herself, that shit is delicious and probably what heaven is made of.

Beca's phone interrupts Chloe in the middle of a story and she glances at it to see it's her manager calling. She turns it off and apologizes to Chloe, motioning for her to keep going, only to have the device go off a mere twenty seconds later.

"I'm sorry," Beca states sincerely, knowing she will keep calling. "I should take this."

Chloe waves her off with an understanding smile. "Do what you gotta do."

Beca steps out into the building hall to take it, only coming back ten minutes later after a chaotic conversation.

"What's wrong? Bad news?" Chloe asks, straightening from her spot on the floor. Beca sighs and sets her phone down as she sits back by Chloe's side.

"Have you ever wished you could start again from scratch?" she speaks quietly, gaze fastened on the coffee table glass surface.

"Many times."

"But it's not always possible, is it?" Beca counters, aware that she is being evasive. There are tears begging to be shed, pooling into her eyes and threatening to spill over.

"I think it is, to some extent. Possible, but not always easy. It's hard to tell when I don't know what you are referring to," Chloe says softly, bumping her shoulder against Beca's gently. "Do you want to talk about what's eating you up?"

Her features are sincere and reassuring when Beca finally holds eye-contact.

"It's totes fine if you don't. I'm aware you've only met me today and I'm basically a stranger to you," Chloe's shoulder lifts in a shrug, then adds, "But sometimes it's easier to open up to strangers than to people you care about and who care about you."

Beca pauses to think about how true that is, although she knows in the back of her mind that Chloe has become a lot more than a mere stranger over the last few hours.

She closes her eyes briefly, cursing when a tear escapes to run down her cheek.

"Dammit."

Dipping her head down to try and hide her raw emotions, Beca is aware the damage is already done when she feels Chloe's hand on her shoulder, thumb brushing over her collarbone. Beca lifts her head timidly, finding blue eyes staring at her with genuine concern.

"You really weren't kidding when you said you needed a break from life, huh?" Chloe murmurs with a frown, hesitating for a beat, then reaching out to wipe Beca's tears for her when more slip out.

Beca half-laughs, half-sobs, eyes rolling into the ceiling as she sniffles. Her teeth grind together from embarrassment. "No."

"Can I give you a hug?" Chloe asks sweetly, and Beca wants to laugh for real this time, because it shouldn't be allowed to have so much adorableness wrapped up in one single human being.

An overly affectionate person that the normal Beca would avoid like the plague. She realizes just now that Chloe has managed to worm her way past the fortifications Beca spent years building around herself, under just a few hours.

However, instead of making a dash for it before her heart can get caught in this mess, Beca nods, eyes slipping shut when Chloe wraps her arms around her.

The embrace is warm and mending. Not too tight and not too lose as her hands rub up and down Beca's back in a soothing manner.

She can tell Chloe is a hugger, and a good one at that. She catches herself thinking that staying like this for hours wouldn't be so bad.

"God, I'm so sorry," Beca says through a shaky inhale when she backs away. She wipes her cheeks with the hem of her sleeves and wills the next ones to remain at bay. "I'm such a mess. You probably think I'm a weirdo by now."

"No," Chloe is quick to counter. She laughs curtly. "Well, not a weirdo in the deprecating sense of the word. Everybody has weird aspects about them. That's what makes them who they are. Imagine just how boring the world would be if everyone fit in the same mold."

Beca chances a look at her. Chloe's gaze is soothingly warm, and it makes Beca's anxiety settle.

"And there's nothing wrong with being a mess," Chloe continues. "Everyone's a mess in their own way and that's _okay_. We're allowed to be messy, we're only humans, after all. It's okay not to be always strong and bad-ass when life throws you curve balls."

She takes Beca's hand and winds her fingers through Beca's, her thumb running over her knuckles so gently that Beca feels as though Chloe is stroking her heart back down to a normal rhythm.

"I'm a mess, too. I have no idea what I'm doing with my life most of the time. I cry a lot. I laugh a lot. I try to embrace my weirdness as best as I can. I've learned that it doesn't help to wallow on negative things, even if it's hard no to. So I try to focus on the good things, even if they sometimes only represent a very small part of my day."

Chloe breaks her speech, reaching out with her free hand to delicately push a strand of Beca's hair away from her face. Her fingers brush against Beca's temple when she retracts them, and Beca reigns in a shiver.

"What was the best part of your day, today?"

Beca could give multiple answers: the street concert they stumbled upon after lunch, the Italian ice-cream they bought off a vendor on the docks or the small chapel from the 16th century they found nestled between two buildings.

All these answers however, no matter how much time Beca spends analyzing them, lead her back to their common root.

"Um, you."

She hears Chloe's breathing itch and feels her thumb freeze over her skin. Beca's suddenly slams back into full-panic mode, heartbeat reaching a galloping speed and ready to jump out of her chest.

She's ruined it.

But then, Chloe's lips stretch into a shy grin and her eyes sparkle.

"You totes just stole my answer," She murmurs with a tiny laugh that has Beca's mouth break into a smile, shoulders dropping in relief. "Beca?"

Beca simply hums, voice abandoned somewhere she can't reach. Chloe's eyes hold such intensity; big, blue and innocent, that it makes the words on her mind die before they can even reach her tongue.

"I would really like to kiss you, but I don't want to scare you away."

Beca swallows, tongue instinctively darting out to lick her lips.

Instead of giving her a verbal answer, Beca leans in slowly, ears buzzing and breathing shallow as she brushes a kiss against Chloe's mouth, tentatively at first, testing the waters.

She blames her boldness on the wine, maybe, although it's mostly desire and not alcohol coursing through her veins as Chloe makes the rest of the distance to fully press her lips against Beca's.

Letting go of Chloe's hand to find her jaw, Beca holds Chloe's face loosely to tug her closer just as their lips part slightly to move against each other in gentle and flowing movements, broken apart by sporadic intakes of oxygen.

Beca shudders, the kiss hitting every nerve in her body until she feels it all the way down her toes.

Chloe's own hand comes to rest on the side of Beca's neck, the soft stroking of her thumb over her pulse point drawing a whimper swallowed by Chloe's mouth. As the kiss intensifies with a stroke of Chloe's tongue over the seam of her lips, Beca feels the surroundings steadily disappear around her as her brain and senses now all revolve around Chloe and all the things Chloe makes her feel.

As though none of it matters; her drastic decision to up and leave and abandon her responsibilities overnight. As though she's exactly where she needs to be.

"Bec," Chloe whispers across her lips when the kiss starts skidding out of control. Nipping gently at Beca's bottom lip, she then completely backs away.

Beca's eyes linger shut for a moment longer.

She's afraid she might crash with bittersweet reality when she does open them. Afraid Chloe might not be there, afraid that maybe she was just a figment of her imagination because of how good, yet foreign it all felt.

When she finally finds the courage to slide them open, Chloe is still here, orbs boring into hers with a curiosity about them that makes Beca feel slightly self-conscious.

Her mind is still trapped in a foggy maze as it tries to sort out exactly what she's feeling, or more accurately why she's feeling that way; lighter and tingling all over. Kissing someone has never really led her to such a state before now.

"You okay?" Chloe asks her when Beca remains silent a beat too long. Beca nods, feeling another surge of confidence and leaning in for another kiss, albeit shorter and more chaste than the one previously shared.

"Yeah. I..."

Her lips are still numb from the best kiss she's ever experienced. She wonders if it also has something to do with the fact that it was her first kiss with a woman.

She wonders if it felt as amazing for Chloe. Before doubt can overtake her, Chloe's lips are back on hers in a bruising kiss, one void of any self-restraint.

Beca feels the apprehension peel away from her shoulders as she responds just as ardently, her burning need for the redhead evolving into something untamable with each stroke of Chloe's lips against hers.

Chloe's hands, Beca blankly registers, are everywhere all at once in the minutes that follow; tangled in her dark hair, running over her neck, slipping under her shirt to trace the muscles in her back.

Intoxicated by the fire lighting her whole body, it's only when they stumble in Chloe's bedroom much later, hasty in getting the other free of their clothing, that Beca's self-doubt comes surging back.

Of course, Chloe senses it. She seems to have this ability to read Beca's emotions without fail, and it feels both amazing and nerve-wracking.

"We can stop right here if you want to," she tells Beca, putting a stop to their frantic actions by setting both hands on Beca's torso.

Chloe is out of breath, pupils fully blown and lips kiss-swollen, and Beca thinks she has never wanted anything as much as she wants Chloe right now.

"I do want to," she rasps out, marking her words with a lingering kiss that has Chloe whimper. "I just... I've never been, _this_ way," God, she feels like a sixteen-year-old about to have sex for the first time. "...with a woman before."

The abrupt need to dig herself a hole in the floor is painful as realization dawns in Chloe's features.

But then she smiles softly, calm and reassuring and Beca releases a much needed breath, though the shake in her hands is still very much present.

"That's okay, we can go slow. And if you don't feel comfortable, we can totes stop, alright? No questions asked."

Beca wonders how the earth was graced with such an incredible human being. She wonders even more how she was lucky enough to cross paths with her.

Beca nods faintly, noticing a shift in Chloe's intentions. Her moves are a bit more calculated and less reckless and Beca draws comfort from it.

As she lies back on the mattress long minutes later, Chloe's body hovering above her and lips tracing every curve and dip of her body, Beca thinks she might be in heaven, and Chloe hasn't even _touched_ her yet.

When she finally does, with her fingers first, hesitant and slow, then her mouth, then her tongue, and again with her fingers, Beca is pretty sure she forgets her own name.

The sounds escaping her mouth and booming off the thin walls are foreign, and so is the sensation that overtakes her body when her climax nears.

It burns into the pit of her stomach, the flames reaching higher with each stroke of Chloe's fingers. It's so intense that Beca has to grip a fistful of sheets with one hand, while the other shamelessly grip the back of Chloe's head to make sure she stays exactly where she is and keeps doing that thing with her tongue.

Beca finally comes undone with a cry, her eyes rolling to the back of her head and her toes digging into the mattress.

As Chloe kisses her way back up her body, tender and attentive, Beca feels overwhelming haziness trickle down her limbs.

She figures she must look stoned or something similar because Chloe looks at her with an amused glint in her eye as she settles down next to her. Beca can taste herself on Chloe's lips when she kisses her, and feels her arousal prick through her skin.

She wants to reciprocate, she really does, but her body isn't completely responsive.

"You should get some sleep," Chloe whispers, the circular pattern she is drawing along Beca's back encouraging Beca's lids to drop. Beca starts to object, but Chloe placates her with her lips on hers. "It's not like I'm going anywhere."

Beca nods, kissing Chloe again before she turns onto her opposite side, tensing slightly then relaxing as Chloe's body rests close against hers, her arm draped over Beca's middle. Chloe drops a kiss on Beca's bare shoulder and sighs contently.

Just before she falls asleep, Beca thinks she's never felt better laying in someone's arms.

And also, women are _awesome_.

/

Beca gets harshly woken up from her deep slumber with the shrill ringing of her phone. She grumbles some sort of profanity into her pillow as her hand slaps blindly against the bedside table surface to locate the offending device.

"Hello?"

Her voice is raw and thick and sounds more like a truck driver's than her own. She clears her throat, rolling onto her back. The ceiling is not the one she has been waking up to in the past few days. As she looks around, the events of last night all come back at once, assaulting her brain with visuals that make her dizzy.

 _"Beca? Are you there?"_

"Yes, Stace," she mumbles, rubbing the leftover sleep from her eyes. "You familiar with time difference?"

 _"What? I thought you were the one ahead. It's six am here."_

Beca pulls her phone away from her ear to look at the time. It reads 11:22. Well, _shit_.

"No actually, I, um, I overslept, that's all."

 _"Well, that's good. Feeling more rested?"_

She remembers falling asleep late, or early in the morning, body aching in all the right places. The mere though of it has her cheeks color to a deep crimson.

 _"Yo, Mitchell?"_

"Yes. I'm... rested."

This was quite possibly the best night's sleep Beca's had in the last two years. She doesn't know if it has to do with the mind-shattering orgasm Chloe gave her or the fact that Chloe's embrace felt like a safe cocoon afterwards.

 _"So how's Paris?"_

Dazzling blue eyes, feiry red hair and pearly white smile.

Beca pauses. She can't remember being so full of sap.

She catches sight of movement in her peripheral and twists her head towards it, eyes falling on Chloe who is lingering in the doorway, unsure if she can come in. Beca waves her over with a small smile, and watches Chloe walk over, noting that she's wearing nothing else but Beca's plaid shirt.

It's a... distracting sight.

"Paris is..." she trails off as Chloe lies next to her, body angling towards Beca's. Beca gulps at the sudden rise in temperature her body experiences. "Paris is... unexpected."

She feels Chloe grin against her skin as she presses a feather-light kiss on Beca's pulse-point, then another, and another. Stacie's voice sounds farther and farther away as Beca closes her eyes and cranes her neck to give Chloe's lips better access.

 _"Good unexpected?"_

Chloe's hand creeps up her side, slipping under Beca's shirt to run over the smooth and toned skin of her abdomen. Beca hisses because Chloe's hand is freezing, wincing the second the sound escapes her mouth when she hears Stacie gasp.

 _"You met someone!"_

Chloe's grin only gets wider, having clearly heard Stacie's _deafening_ shriek, and Beca narrows her eyes, her jaw dropping at Chloe's audacity when she moves swiftly to straddle her lap. Beca's hand falls to Chloe's bare thigh on its own accord, thumb brushing over smooth, tan skin.

"Maybe?"

Chloe flips her hair to let it rest over one shoulder, and Beca feels her mouth dry up at the sight. Chloe's innocent eyes are now sprinkled with a touch of wickedness that only drives Beca's desire to a further threshold.

 _"What do you mean,_ _ **maybe**_ _?"_

Beca watches with bated breath as Chloe leans down, her lips trailing along her jaw, and down her neck. They stop to pay particular attention to that spot below her ear they became acquainted with last night. Beca's body arches off the mattress in pursuit for more as a throaty moan escapes her mouth.

She is _so_ screwed. There's no way Stacie is ever going to let her live that down.

Yet, part of her likes the fact that she's the scandalous one for once.

 _"Oh my God, I'm interrupting a booty call, aren't I? Are you with him now?!"_

Oh, well. Beca is too far gone to backtrack now, so she might as well go all in.

"It's a _she_ , actually, and yes, I am," Chloe pulls away, eyebrow arched in surprise at Beca's own audacity.

The stunned silence at the end of the line is quite comical and Beca can't say she isn't proud of leaving Stacie dumbstruck. She's never said anything to her friend about her attraction to women, because there was never really anything concrete to talk about, until now.

"Stace, I'm gonna have to let you go."

Stacie's squeal is cut off as Beca ends the call, tossing her phone somewhere on the mattress to be able to cup Chloe's neck with both hands, tugging her down for a kiss.

"Good morning," Chloe murmurs, drawing back just enough to rub her nose against Beca's.

Beca hums from somewhere low in her throat, "I'll say,"

Her phone goes off in a series of chimes, no doubt from an avalanche of text messages from Stacie.

They both laugh, and Chloe slides off Beca's lap to lie back on her side, Beca mirroring her position and curling a hand around Chloe's waist. She can't resist slipping that hand under her shirt to rub her thumb over her hip bone.

"Sleep well?"

Beca nods. "Better than I have in a long time. Thank you for that."

She briefly wonders if it sounds as though she's thanking Chloe for giving her that orgasm, and hope Chloe knows she's refering to the entire evening.

Chloe licks her lips and hums, "My pleasure," She kisses Beca's again, fingers combing through her disheveled dark tresses. "I have fresh croissants and coffee waiting for you in the kitchen."

Beca moans in anticipation, then pauses, eyeing Chloe's lack of clothing. "Tell me you didn't go outside dressed like this?"

Chloe rolls her eyes. "No, I put some pants on, Bec."

"Okay, good."

Chloe giggles, rolling over onto her stomach and pushing on Beca's shoulder to pin her to the mattress. She folds her arms over Beca's stomach and sets her chin down on top of them, looking up at Beca through her eyelashes.

"What do you want to do today?"

Beca likes the fact that it's a given they're spending the day together.

Beca shrugs, running her own hand over Chloe's hair as it cascades around her shoulders. "Dunno. Do we have to go outside?"

"You didn't come all the way to Paris to stay inside, did you? Besides, it's beautiful out."

Beca's eyes flicker to the window to confirm that fact. The sun is already high in the immaculate blue sky. She gazes back at Chloe, raking her teeth over her bottom lip.

"I didn't come to Paris to end up in some gorgeous woman's bed, either, yet here I am."

"Smooth," Chloe drawls out, cheeks tinting lightly over the compliment.

"You're the smooth one," Beca retorts with a tut, "Dragging me around and making me fall in love with-" she clears her throat, catching herself last second before she comes across as a psycho. "...Paris."

What she thinks she might be feeling is crazy and beyond anything realistic. Maybe she had a stroke last night that left her with a fried brain.

If Chloe notices her near slip-up, she doesn't let it be shown. Beca thinks back to Chloe's initial question, eager to stir her own mind away from her absurd and dangerous thoughts.

"This is going to sound silly but... I don't feel comfortable strolling the city now that the paps know I'm here. At least not until it blows over. Usually takes them a couple days to lose interest."

Chloe's brow twitches in concern. "They are really that bad over in the US?"

"Yeah. I've had my fair share of bad blood with them. Some of them are real scums. And I came here to try to avoid all of it, the fame, the fans, the paps. Hard to shake off, apparently, even across the ocean."

Chloe nods, still refraining from asking any questions. While Beca appreciates her discretion, she feels like she needs to come clean, mostly because she doesn't see herself letting go of Chloe just yet.

"It was my manager over the phone, yesterday," she starts explaining, choosing to focus on a curl of Chloe's hair she's twirling around her finger. "I didn't give much notice before I came here. I kinda abandoned my responsibilities overnight and my label isn't very happy, rightly so. It was very unprofessional on my part, but I needed a break from it all."

"You don't have to justify anything, Beca." Chloe tells her with a sincere smile.

Beca sighs and nods, running her free hand over her face in frustration. "I just wish I could make music for the whole world to enjoy without having strangers burst into my private life, looking for saucy information they can then sell."

"I get it," Chloe says, head bobbing up and down as much as it can given her position. "The entertainment industry is filthy, and I'll never understand why people are so interested in celebrities' lives, to the extent that so-called photographers make a living out of stalking them. Stalking _you_. It disgusts me."

"It goes beyond my comprehension, too," Beca shrugs, finally meeting Chloe's eyes. "So now you know. I'm a musician and singer, known as _B. Mitchell_. I'm less known in Europe, which is why you've probably never heard of me-"

"I've heard of you, I just didn't know what you looked like," Chloe is quick to correct, eyes slightly bigger and twinkling. "When I was back in the US for a little while last year to visit my parents, I think I heard one of your songs on the radio and checked the other ones out on Spotify. Your sound is amazing, Beca."

And it's genuine, Beca can tell. It's not Chloe falsely fawning over her because she's has just learned Beca is one of the rising stars of her generation back in the States.

"Thank you." Beca says with a small, but honest smile.

"And you must be raising in fame here too, if the paps are showing interest."

"I guess," Beca offers, not sure how she feels about that information. "Anyway, I've been trying to write songs for my second album and the label has been pressuring me for weeks. I didn't realize I needed a break until my friends staged an intervention," she chuckles, shaking her head at the memory. She guesses she should thank them when she gets back. This trip has already gone beyond all expectations. "I just wanted to be a normal person for a few weeks. But apparently that's too much to ask."

Chloe hums in understanding. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Great things have already made up for it," she husks out, her hand drifting from Chloe's hair to stroke her cheek. Chloe angles her head to press her lips to the hollow of her wrist in wordless appreciation.

"Here's an idea," she starts, sitting up to rest back against her heels, pulling Beca's hand onto her lap to play with her fingers as she goes on. "I'm supposed to drive down to Toulouse tomorrow for this work thing and I have nothing planned for the rest of the week after that. How would you like to come with me? The south of France is much quieter, and you won't find any paps as long as you avoid Saint-Tropez or Cannes. There's not much there to see, anyway. In the area I'm thinking of, you'll find lots of scenic hikes, cute villages, amazing food..."

As if Beca wasn't already convinced, she adds with a sheepish shrug, "And me."

"I..." Beca doesn't recognize herself. This is surreal, how willing she is to go on an impromptu trip with this person she's known for less than twenty-four hours. "Yeah. I'd like that. Are you sure, though? You don't have to do that for my sake."

"Are you kidding?" Chloe asks, her tone rising a notch in excitement, Beca guesses. It's endearing how her voice translates her emotions each time without fail. "I'm totes sure. Otherwise I wouldn't have offered."

"Okay," Beca nods, perhaps more to convince herself. "Does that mean we can stay inside all day today, then?"

Chloe frowns in the most adorable way. "Won't we get bored?"

Smirking, Beca sits up on her elbows to capture Chloe's lips in a much bolder kiss than the one they previously shared. Chloe's eyes are hazy when she pulls away.

"I can think of a few ways to keep us entertained."

She _did_ mean to reciprocate.

/

The rest of their morning is spent lazying in bed, trading kisses that get slightly out of hand and end up with Beca respecting her promise. They eventually get up around noon to get breakfast, the late spring temperatures warm enough to eat it on Chloe's balcony.

"Do you mind if I take a shower?" Beca asks as they retreat back inside.

"Of course not. You know where the bathroom is. Towels are underneath the sink."

Come to think of it, she should probably swing by her hotel room to get fresh clothes. Especially when her plaid shirt is still being held hostage by Chloe, who apparently decided to parade around her apartment (and on her balcony, thankfully mostly secluded from neighbor's view) wearing only that and tiny shorts.

Hey, her home, her rules. Beca isn't about to complain about the free show.

Chloe's legs are long, tanned and toned and Beca really has a hard time keeping her eyes off them. Especially when she thinks about how they were wrapped around her shoulders earlier this morning while her head was-

Beca chokes on her saliva as she feels a new wave of arousal travel the length of her body, peaking in a familiar throb between her legs.

"Beca?"

She snaps out of her daze and realizes she's been standing in the middle of the kitchen for a long stretch, gaze fastened on thin air.

"Well, I need my shirt back if I wanna have something to wear after my shower," she recovers with a lopsided smile, awkwardly shuffling on her bare feet.

"Oh! Right," to her horror (well, that's a _stretch_ ), Chloe starts unbuttoning it right in front of her, and Beca knows for a fact she isn't wearing anything under it. Chloe slips it off her shoulders and hands it to Beca as she struts past her, aiming for her bedroom.

It's been thirty hours, and Beca has lost count of how many times she has died in that span.

Come to think of it, that shower can wait.

/

"Bec?" Chloe's whisper coaxes Beca out of her slumber. She was lying on the couch with her head on Chloe's lap as the redhead read her book, and somehow, encouraged by the scraping motion of Chloe's fingers over her scalp, her eyes slipped shut and she fell asleep.

Beca hums, not trusting her voice to be particularly attractive with the leftover sleep, blinking up at Chloe. She quickly assures herself there isn't a line of drool down the corner of her mouth by swiping the back of her hand over her chin.

"I need to go my gallery to develop some film," she says, and Beca is surprised it's the first time she mentions she has a gallery. Chloe shared a lot about her yesterday, yet omitted that important piece of information. "You can stay here and hang out if you want, or you can come with. I'm pretty sure there are no paps waiting for you downstairs."

"Yeah, I'll come with," It would feel weird to be in Chloe's home without her. "Do you mind if we swing by my hotel first? I really need to get some clothes."

"We can totes do that." Beca's shoulders shake with silent laughter, causing Chloe to stare down at her. "What?"

Beca sits up, rotating to face Chloe.

"You sure say 'totes' a lot," Chloe looks slightly offended by the use of air-quotes. "Is it how young people talk these days?"

"Look at you go, grandma," she mocks with an eye-roll. "Besides, I'm older than you."

"Exactly why 'totes' sounds weird," she fires back, snickering when Chloe shoves her shoulder. "Seriously, I've never heard _anyone_ say it before. Where did you pick that up?"

"Oh, it's a Chloe Beale thing. I started saying it in college and wanted it to become the new trendy expression, y'know, kind of like in _Mean Girls_ when Gretchen wants _fetch_ to happen."

Beca frowns helplessly. "You've lost me."

" _Mean Girls_? The movie?"

"Okay, here's a fun fact about me," Beca grimaces. "I hate movies."

"What!" Chloe's eyes grow wide with astonishment. "How can you not like movies? It's like not liking... _puppies_!"

Beca has a sudden college flashback and shudders. "Funny, my best friend said the exact same thing to me during our first year of college."

"Well, he's right!" Chloe exclaims. "You're such a weirdo, Bec."

"Yeah, yeah." She pushes at Chloe's thigh with her feet, both as reprimand and to get her going. "Go put some pants on so we can go."

"You're bossy," Chloe pouts and Beca really has to keep those butterflies in check. They flap away madly in her belly every time Chloe does something endearing. "But _fine_."

She leans in to kiss the corner of Beca's mouth before she gets up and Beca tries not to let her thoughts drift too much on how they act like a couple.

It doesn't work.

Plus, she kinda likes it.

Crap.

/

"Chloe?"

Beca calls out when she steps inside the gallery. It's all white walls, high ceilings and hardwood floors and nicely decorated, not that Beca is surprised after being introduced to Chloe's tastes back at her place.

"Up here!" Comes from the top of the metal, spiral staircase tucked in the corner left to the entrance. Beca walks further in and closes the door behind her, locking it with the spare key Chloe gave her when she dropped her off at her hotel.

Beca took an hour to discuss calmly with her manager and producers and asked them to give her a week to herself so she could unwind, and surprisingly, they didn't argue.

Maybe everyone but her noticed she really did need a break, after all.

Stepping further into the large space, Beca takes the time to look at the framed pictures lining the walls. Some are of historical building, others of street scenes or portraits, all bathed in a compelling light that makes it hard for Beca to tear her eyes away. She doesn't know much about photography, but she can tell Chloe is incredibly talented and has a way of telling stories through her camera.

"Did you get lost?" Chloe's voice drifts through the duplex, tone light with amusement, stirring Beca away from her reverie. She spins around and marches towards the staircase.

Once upstairs, she finds Chloe in an open area, hunched over a large working space with various cameras and rolls of films laid in front of her.

"Hi," Beca greets quietly, slipping her hands into the pocket of her jeans. Chloe glances up, sending Beca a bright smile that makes her weak in the knees.

"Perfect timing!" she exclaims as she straightens. "I was about to step into the darkroom."

Beca vaguely remembers hearing that term. "Oh, okay."

"Care to see how photographs are made?"

Beca nods, curious to find out more about Chloe's element. "Sure."

"This way," Chloe grabs a case full of films and walks to another room that is separated from the one they are in by a thick, black curtain.

She pushes it back and lets Beca through before sliding it shut. Beca follows her to another wide wooden work-space where three trays are laid out, each filled with liquid.

"So I've already done the boring part of taking the film roll out of the camera and fix the images with chemicals. Now I have the negatives strips. Those are very sensitive to direct light, so that's when the concept of the darkroom comes in."

Chloe hits a light switch, plunging the room into darkness for a second, before it's bathed in red light. It takes a bit of blinking for Beca's eyes to adjust to the change, while Chloe takes out said strips and lies them on a lightbox.

"I usually start each week by giving myself assignments, either themes or places. Last week, I decided to photograph people in the subway. It's called the _Metropolitain_ , here, or _Metro_ for short."

Chloe explains as she arranges some instruments in front of her. Beca steps closer, gazing down at the strips of negatives.

"There's a particular series that I like from last Thursday. I was about to go home, and I caught this couple kissing just by the side of the entrance. Now the fun thing about a couple kissing in public is that the people around them will usually avert their eyes, as if to give them a sense of privacy, _even though_ they chose to kiss in a public setting in the first place," Chloe laughs lightly and waves her hand, as if to refocus. "Anyway. I'm stirring away from the subject, sorry."

She grabs a sort of magnifying glass and hands it to Beca.

"You can take a look."

Beca bends down, pressing her eye to the lens and running it over the glass. The ten negatives show the same two people, at different stages of their kiss.

"So I've selected one photo out of all of these already," Chloe says, taking one of the negative strip when Beca straightens. "Now, I need to place it into the enlarger to project the photo on the easel and adjust its size."

Beca watches on as Chloe goes through all those steps. She fiddles with the enlarger until her print is the size she wants, then turns to look at Beca.

"Okay! Want to print a photograph?"

Beca's eyes grow wider as she points at herself and looks over her shoulder, as though expecting someone else to have materialize in the room. " _Me_?"

Chloe chuckles. "Yes, _you_. Theory is totes boring, practice is the fun part."

"But what if I mess up? I'll ruin your photograph."

The trust in Chloe's eyes is unsettling and Beca can feel it seeping through her cracked shield once again.

"Don't worry, we'll start with a test print. Besides, you won't mess up," she assures her, tilting her head towards the table. "C'mon."

Beca takes a step closer to stand next to Chloe.

"Okay, take the paper and place it in this first tray, which is the developer," Chloe instructs. After wiping her sweaty hands on her jeans, Beca does as she's told. "Now this needs to immersed as much as possible, so you need to rock the tray back and forth to spread the solution evenly."

Once the paper is in there, Beca grips the tray with both hands and moves it back and forth. Little by little she can see ink appear on the previously white paper and the image become clearer with each second.

It's mesmerizing, watching it turn from a simple sheet of white paper to a black and white picture. Beca starts to understand what the hype about photography really is.

"Good, that's one minute. Now you take this," Chloe hands Beca a pair of tongs. "Grab the paper gently, preferably in the corner because the image isn't fixed yet and you don't want to damage it. Then you transfer it to the next tray, which is the stop bath," Beca follows the instructions, extremely focused on the task. "Rock for about ten seconds, that's it, and then same thing, onto the next tray to fix the image, for one minute."

"Okay."

"You're a natural," Chloe observes as Beca completes the last step. She briefly takes her eyes off the task to share a smile with Chloe and whisper a _thanks_. "Now I need to check and set the contrast and exposure I want, but I need light for that."

Beca's eyes feel assaulted by the sudden harsh, white light and blinks several times to get used to it once more. Chloe takes the print, humming and tutting as she studies it. She then does a few things that she doesn't spell out to Beca, and Beca figures it's because it might be too technical.

She's fine with that. Watching Chloe work is quite captivating, and she's not certain she'd be able to focus on the information provided should Chloe explain.

"Ready to do it again?" Chloe asks with a beaming grin that Beca mirrors a second later. She nods, more confidently this time. Chloe hits the lights, and Beca goes through all the steps without Chloe having to say much.

"Now what?" Beca says once she's taken the picture out of the fixer.

"Now we rinse it," She directs Beca to a bucket filled with, Beca guesses, water, and plunges the picture in it. "It needs to stay there five to ten minutes."

"That was cool," she says as she turns to look at Chloe. Her eyes chase the shadows on Chloe's face, tracing her features. "What do you love most about photography?"

Chloe leans against the counter and crosses her arms over her chest, taking a moment to analyze Beca's question before she speaks.

"When I was little, my mom had this photograph book of Robert Doisneau. He was a humanist photographer who only shot in black and white, and mostly scenes of the daily life back in the 50's. I used to flip through it and imagine the stories behind the pictures," she reminiscences with a smile. "I love how photographs have the ability to tell stories through an unmoving frame. And how that story will vary depending on the person who looks at it. It's different from a movie or a book, where the plot is imposed to the reader or spectator. I think photography, like paintings, gives another stretch to one's imagination."

Chloe pauses and clears her throat, eyes flickering to the clock to monitor the time before setting her gaze back on Beca.

"That's mostly why I focus on street photography. You usually have a lot more to look at than the subjects of the pictures. I like busy surroundings and being able give people who look at my work material to create a story of their own."

Beca nods, finding it near impossible to tear her eyes away from Chloe. Much like yesterday, she's hooked on how Chloe's passion about photography shows through her body language whenever she talks about it.

"But what I love the most about photography is how much it tells about people."

Beca's ears perk up in interest, "How so?"

"Well, a photograph can't capture people's voice, so it fails to convey what people say about themselves. But what we say isn't always an accurate reflection to what we feel or think, whereas I think non-verbal communication reveals just as much, and maybe even more. The way people act, dress, how they move or stand, speaks volumes, and body language is most of the time unconscious,"

Chloe pushes off the table and makes the scant distance separating her from Beca to stand directly in front of her.

"Because the body doesn't know how to lie, right? And because a photo doesn't have a voice, it gives us even more chance to study that body language. There's nothing to distract us."

Beca's is too wrapped up in Chloe's tale to realize how hard her breathing is getting. It doesn't help that Chloe is nearly invading her personal space. She nods faintly, finding it impossible to blink, as if afraid to miss something if she did.

"And while a photograph cannot record body movement over time, it still manages to catch the essence of a person displayed through that silent language."

Chloe shrugs, suddenly coming across as though she's self-conscious about what she's sharing. The dim lighting makes it feel a lot more intimate, as though Beca's being exposed to a part of Chloe's life that few people get to see.

"And, I don't know, I find there's something exciting about being able to capture so many emotions at once. A single shot has the power to show and express so much about someone without them realizing it."

Beca swallows, Chloe's words and proximity pulling something in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes drop to Chloe's lips, but Chloe pulls away with a smirk before she can close the gap.

"Picking up a camera changed me and the way I see the world. We live in this high-paced society where everyone is too busy to look past the scuff of their shoes." Chloe continues, walking away from Beca and towards the work-space where her material is laid out. "On my first outing with a camera, I looked around me to observe the things I wanted to capture through the lens,"

She lifts up her camera and cradles it between her hands.

"I started to observe people more and try to read their emotions in order to give some sort of meaning to my work. And while doing that, I realized how much we come across everyday without taking the time to truly look at it, how we live in a world that promotes egocentricity and self-absorption,"

She looks up at Beca, mouth curling in a small smile.

"How many people we meet but never really see."

Beca now understands how Chloe is able to tell her emotions so easily, even from the start.

She _sees_ Beca. Like no one else ever has.

It's as comforting as it is terrifying.

Swiftly hit by a surge of magnetic, compelling attraction for the woman in front of her, Beca's body stirs towards Chloe on its own accord, without her brain being completely aware of its doing, trapped in its own foggy mess.

Taking a step closer, then another until the tip of her shoes bump against Chloe's, Beca's hand wraps around the back of her neck gently, tugging Chloe's head down as she tilts hers up.

She kisses Chloe with no intent of pulling away until her lungs are burning from lack of oxygen.

The world yet again falls away. The kiss is soft and smooth, a slow ballet of lips she has come to crave.

She registers Chloe's quiet whimper as her hand falls to her waist, arms hooking in the middle of her lower back.

Beca's own hand sinks into Chloe's hair, thumb brushing against her cheek as they both share one shaky breath, only for Beca to dip forward again, chasing Chloe's lips with a tiny bit more of urgency.

Chloe's fingers are running up and down the base her spine, pulling her closer until there is no space left between them and Beca can feel Chloe's heart beat against her own.

It's steady and calm while Beca's is out of control and hammering against her ribs.

The sound of the timer breaks the kiss, and Beca feels Chloe smile against her lips, which are pressed to hers one last time before she slowly peels herself away, the tips of her fingers running over Beca's abdomen as she walks past her get to the other side.

Beca's eyes remain shut a second or two. Her hand comes up to her mouth, trembling fingers tracing her still tingling lips as she wills her body to come out of its paralyzing daze.

The harsh white lights switching back on are a much more efficient tool for that, and Beca painfully jerks back to reality. Chloe stands next to her, hanging the picture to a thread extended across the ceiling and beckons Beca over.

"Good job," she says, eyes leaving the pictures to glance at Beca and bumps her hip against hers. "You printed a picture."

Beca nods, although her brain is still fuzzy and her ears muffled. She has a hard time processing Chloe's words, and she's glad Chloe doesn't bring up the kiss, because she wouldn't know what to say to explain herself.

She knows Chloe felt what she felt. It wasn't like any other kiss she shared with anyone else before, it wasn't like any of the kisses they have shared the previous night.

It was something that belonged to another dimension, a dimension that Beca has tried, and successfully managed to stray away from until now. A dimension that can bring happiness and fulfillment, but also, in most cases, heartbreak and sorrow.

She knows the door leading to it is best kept shut as to not let herself be sucked in. But somehow, in the depths of her brain, Beca knows it's too late.

There's little chance she'll come out of this unscathed; she's already skidding to wreck.

/

/

Afterwards, she waits downstairs while Chloe finishes up cleaning her equipment and takes another few minutes to study the photographs lining the walls.

"All done!" Chloe exclaims as she bounces down the stairs in a spiraling flurry that makes Beca feel lightheaded. She extends something to her with a smile, "You almost forgot your picture,"

Beca furrows her brow, looking at the item. The photograph has been placed under glass and framed in a light-brown wood contour. She takes it, snapping her eyes up to Chloe.

"I can't take this. It's your photograph."

Chloe shakes her head with a fond smile. "I merely pressed a button. You were the one who printed it, you did most of the work."

Now Beca doesn't know much about photography (though a lot more than she did yesterday), but she knows enough to tell that adjusting camera settings and finding the right composition for a picture is the most challenging aspect in photography.

Just like writing the songs is the most time-consuming part in the making of an album, while getting to sing them is the fun outcome.

She is well aware Chloe is just saying that so that Beca accepts the gift.

"Besides," Chloe continues before Beca can express her objection. "Take it as a souvenir from Paris. Two people kissing next to the Metropolitain sign? You can hardly get much more French than that."

Beca runs her fingertips over the framed picture, the love radiating off its two subjects undeniable to the naked eye.

Their feelings for each other are almost see-through, just as Beca's are starting to become for the woman behind that picture.

/

Roadtriping to the south of the country with Chloe turns out to be a lot of fun. Not that Beca thought it wouldn't be, she was just worried that maybe they would run out of things to say during the seven-hour-trip to Toulouse.

Chloe does most of the talking, and Beca is more than content just sitting back and listening to her tales. Whenever they come across a silence spell, Chloe cranks up the volume on the radio and sings along to whatever is playing.

Chloe singing French songs does things to Beca's heart that are slightly concerning.

It's either on overdrive or flat-lining, which is a real inconvenience.

She can't even think about what would happen to her if Chloe happened to speak French to her while they are in the bedroom. At this point, she's sure Chloe reading out the instruction manual for a dishwasher in French would turn her on.

Once Chloe has pulled onto the highway and her hand is now free from having to switch gears every couple minutes, Beca reaches over the console to hold it.

It took a lot of persuasion between she and her inner-awkward, but after debating it over for a few minutes, she decided to go for the leap.

Her breathing halts for a few seconds, resuming when Chloe laces their fingers together. She can see the smile tugging at the corners of Chloe's lips and her shoulders sag in relief. It mustn't go unnoticed by Chloe, who giggles quietly.

"What?" Beca asks, finding Chloe's eyes over the top of her sunglasses.

"You're cute," she replies with a smirk, her eyes moving back to the road. "Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Yes. They're dead, now."

"Uh oh. Should I take it back then?"

Beca makes a show of letting out a resigned sigh. "I guess I can let that one slide. That's strike one, though. Walking on thin ice there, Beale."

"Oh wow," Chloe visibly thrums from Beca's words as she squirms a little in her seat. "And how many strikes am I allowed exactly?"

Beca pretends to think it over. "Hm. Three."

Beca knows what Chloe is going to say before the words even reach her tongue. "And what happens if I reach that number?"

Beca is now the one to squirm. She wishes she had a better comeback, but her wit is currently unavailable. "I'll have to think about that."

Chloe hums. "I don't know if I'll be able to restrain myself from calling you cute. See, I like to acknowledge the truth when I see it before my eyes."

Beca sighs, shaking her head at Chloe with a fond expression. That woman is definitely something else and the list of things Beca likes about her keeps getting longer and longer.

But not long enough to hide her biggest flaw, one so obvious it fills most of Beca's mind.

Chloe lives in Paris. A whole ocean and several time zones separates them.

"You okay?" Chloe asks her, like every time she does whenever Beca zones out, Beca has noticed.

"Yep," she replies, ignoring the bitter taste on her tongue and hoping it doesn't translate in her smile as she squeezes Chloe's hand. She tries to banish the thought from her mind and enjoy the moment. "Perfect."

/

It turns out that Chloe's 'work thing' in Toulouse is opening another gallery and she's hosting a private viewing in her new space tomorrow night.

She's successful enough to open a second gallery and Beca is thrilled for her; Chloe is obviously incredibly talented and deserves the recognition.

"Is this okay?" Chloe asks as she walks into the living-room, wearing a burgundy, floor length dress adorned with a white flower or leaf pattern, Beca isn't sure. Her cleavage is generous without being too much, and her hair is down, styled in soft curls resting over her shoulders.

Beca wasn't really prepared for the sight, and her book nearly falls from her grasp when she looks up. Her mouth dries up, heartbeat picking up as her eyes rake along Chloe's body.

 _Okay_ is definitely an understatement.

"Y-yeah," Beca's voice isn't more than a rasp, and she clears her throat in embarrassment. "Yeah, it's..." Hm. Her brain must be on strike. "yeah."

Outstandingly eloquent Beca is back and thriving.

Beca sighs, slightly frustrated about the effects Chloe has on her neurons. She eventually manages to thread a whole sentence.

"You look beautiful, Chloe."

"Thanks, babe," Chloe says before she turns around, going back to where she came from, while Beca blinks dazedly, willing her heart to stop doing those stupid somersaults over the term of endearment. She pops back in the doorway, a light jacket over her shoulders. "Ready to go?"

Beca nods and rises to her feet, following Chloe out of the house. Before Chloe can open the door, however, Beca catches her wrist to tug her towards her, and kisses her.

Chloe's lips taste like the peppermint she just took, cool and warm at the same time as they respond eagerly to Beca's. Chloe pulls her closer and Beca feels herself sinking into her hold, the kiss lingering much longer than what she intended.

"What was that for?" Chloe breathes against her mouth when they part, her forehead seeking rest over Beca's.

Beca doesn't really know, so she shrugs. "Just felt like it."

Chloe hums, tongue darting out to run over her bottom lip. "Well, you can 'feel like it' whenever you want."

The night turns out to be a huge success. Beca watches from the sidelines as Chloe shakes hands and accept every compliment with humility, a light blush coloring her cheeks over each praise of her talent.

Chloe's on cloud nine for the rest of the night. She introduces Beca to a couple of childhood friends who came for the occasion. Beca doesn't know what title Chloe gives her, as her knowledge in French doesn't go that far.

She doesn't even know what title she wants to be given. She hasn't quite worked out that fact yet, and Chloe probably hasn't, either.

She doesn't miss the way Chloe hesitates over it, though, but doesn't bring it up, instead stepping outside for some needed fresh air.

As she sits on the steps of the building next door, Beca catches a middle-age couple waking down the street. They are laughing, clearly inebriated and overly happy as they hold each other close.

The man stops in the middle of the street and pulls his significant other close, kissing her sweetly.

As she observes them from the corner of her eye, Beca catches herself thinking that she wouldn't mind getting a taste of that same happiness, too.

/

Over the following days, she and Chloe visit nearby towns and villages, walks old streets and see old things, holding hands or trading kisses whenever Chloe isn't snapping pictures.

It has become Beca's new favorite thing, watching Chloe take pictures. She loves how how Chloe's brows knit together as she goes over the settings of her camera, or how her eyes light up whenever she sees an interesting composition.

Beca pretends not to notice when Chloe snaps a few pictures of her as she takes in the panoramic view they are graced with after a steep hike up a mountain.

She doesn't mind, because she trusts Chloe and her intentions.

"You're not being very discreet," she tells Chloe a while later though, when Chloe does it again as they sit at the terrace of a small bistro. Beca was laughing at Chloe's goofiness when she heard the telltale sound of a picture being snapped.

Beca stares at her pointedly, mouth shaped in a playful scowl, and Chloe at least has the decency to look like a deer caught in the headlights.

"I can't help it," she offers with a light shrug, taking a sip of her glass of wine. "When I see a beautiful subject, I need to immortalize it."

Beca blinks. She doesn't recall ever being called beautiful in her life. The medias never use that word or anything close to that range to describe her physical appearance. Sexy, maybe, but not beautiful. Her father has never called her that, either. She didn't know it would feel so unsettling to hear it be said by someone else. That someone else being the person she actively has a crush on, nonetheless.

Beca rolls her eyes for show, but her heart is thumping in her ears. She extends her hand, curling her fingers towards her several times in a beckoning gesture. "At least let me see the damage,"

Chloe reluctantly passes her camera over and instead of looking at the pictures she's taken, Beca raises the camera to her face and snaps one.

"What are you doing?" Chloe says, face flushing as she turns it away from the lens, using her red hair as a curtain.

"Giving you a taste of your own medicine," Beca smirks and takes a glimpse at the picture she took. "Yep, gorgeous."

The flush reddening Chloe's face is somehow satisfying. "Stop it, Bec."

"You started it," Beca fires back, raising an eyebrow to challenge Chloe into voicing a comeback. "Besides, you shouldn't feel self-conscious about anything, or you're clearly not seeing what I'm seeing."

Chloe visibly swoons, before she leans across the scant distance separating them to grab the lapels of Beca's jacket and kiss her repeatedly. The small and broken up kisses eventually become longer and deeper, to the point where Beca feels intoxicated and craving for more.

"And if you keep going," Beca manages to butt in between gentle strokes of Chloe's lips against her own. "You're starting something you won't be able to finish."

"Says who?" Chloe rasps, pulling away enough for Beca to catch a glimpse of her darkened eyes.

"The fact that we are in public?" she proves her point by tilting her head towards an elderly couple at the next table, who, to her surprise, are staring at them with small smiles and twinkling eyes, as if happy to witness such a disgusting amount of affection.

Beca's blush is intensifying by the second. Chloe titters and Beca kisses her again, more appropriately this time.

"Let's get out of here."

She laces her fingers through Chloe's when they step into the street in direction of Chloe's car. The wind has picked up in intensity, sending a ripple of goosebumps over Beca's skin. She lets go of Chloe's hand to wrap an arm around her waist instead and press their bodies together in search for warmth.

She can tell Chloe smiles as she tugs Beca closer with a smooth hold of her hip. When Chloe's car comes into view, she stops to whisper in Beca's ear,

"Race you?"

Beca's nose scrunches up. They're grown adults. "Uh, _no_. We're not _five_."

She sees Chloe's pout and makes a sudden dash for the car, catching Chloe's gasp and squeal before feet hammer against the ground behind her, echoing the sound of her heart in her ears.

Beca slaps her hand over the roof of the car, chest heaving up and down from the impromptu hundred-yard-sprint, as Chloe crashes into her in a screeching halt, all giggles and equally panting breath.

Beca joins in on the laughter too, the muscles in her stomach turning sore and her cheeks aching from smiling so wide.

"You cheater," Chloe exhales into Beca's neck, teeth gently nipping at the flesh. Beca squeaks and jumps away from her, only to have Chloe's strong arm tugging her back by the waist and pinning her against the driver's door.

She captures Beca's lips in a burning kiss that leaves her hanging and chasing for more as Chloe steps away teasingly, fusing their mouths together again mere seconds later.

As they kiss like two teenagers under an olive tree in the glow of the late afternoon light, Beca feels her worries and troubles vanish into thin air.

She feels the past Beca slowly slip away into oblivion, making way for another version that she has yet to get acquainted with.

Someone more carefree and lighthearted.

She hasn't felt this alive in a long time.

/

Chloe's childhood house is nice. It's not very modern, made out of old stone, but it's homey and welcoming. It's located in a very small village just outside of Toulouse, of which name Beca can't even begin to try pronouncing.

It must have like, three-hundred inhabitants because everyone seems to address each other by their first name. Everybody knows Chloe and Chloe is well inclined to make small talk with every person they cross path with, mostly old friends of her parents'.

The owner of the bakery, a woman in her sixties, even insists on sharing an embarrassing story about a seven-year-old Chloe to Beca, one morning when they walk there to buy a fresh baguette for breakfast.

Although Beca wasn't looking for gossip when they walked into the shop, she finds the story extremely entertaining, especially with how Chloe's face steadily turns crimson as Denise's tale progressed.

There's a little garden at the back of Chloe's house where they usually go in the afternoon to read or nap, seeking refuge from the heavily beating-sun under the shadow of the willow tree tucked in the far corner.

Today though, Chloe's out on a hunt for things to photograph while Beca decides to stay in, mostly because they have been attached by the hip for the last seven days and she's glad to have a little time to be alone with her thoughts.

Thoughts that are quickly pouring out and put into lyrics on a sheet of paper, the first ones Beca has written in eight long months.

It's late when Chloe comes back, all sun-kissed skin and bright smiles as she strides out of the house clad in a polka-dot summer dress, towards the table where Beca has spent most of her day.

"Whatcha doing?" Chloe asks, tone breathy as she bends down to kiss the back of Beca's neck on her way to the chair across from Beca.

The spot tingles from the cool contact on her slightly burnt skin. A glass of white wine is set on the table and Beca notices Chloe is holding her own as she smoothly sits down, peering at Beca through her shades.

"Um," Beca looks down at the dozen sheets of papers all dotted in black ink, forearm instinctively twisting to hide them from Chloe's curious (but not prying) eyes. She knows the words are the reflection of what she's feeling deep inside and isn't ready to open that door into her heart, just yet (or, you know, _ever_ ). "Just some song ideas."

Chloe hums as she takes a sip of wine, lifting her feet from the grass to prop them across Beca's lap.

"Wanna go out for dinner or stay in?"

"No, I'd rather stay in," Beca tells her after a moment of thought, leaning back in her chair as she runs her hands over Chloe's shins. "I can cook something."

Chloe raises an impressed eyebrow. "You can cook?"

It's been a while since she's last done it, but Beca nods confidently anyway.

That's how they find themselves in the kitchen an hour later, both jamming to _No Diggity_ as Beca whips something up at the stove, while Chloe goofily shimmies her hips to the beat.

The fact that she's changed into one of Beca's plaid shirt (it's become a thing, apparently) and very short shorts doesn't help Beca in focusing on her task of chopping vegetables. She's slightly concerned she might lose a finger over it if she doesn't get a grip.

As the song switches to something calmer, Chloe hops onto the counter next to the stove to nurse the rest of her glass of wine as she tells Beca about her day and the pictures she took. Chloe's legs are swinging, her toes occasionally tracing the back of Beca's thigh.

"Knock it off," Beca warns after the third time, her glare faltering in strength when she catches Chloe's cute expression. She covers the simmering Alfredo sauce with a lid and moves to stand in between Chloe's legs.

Running her hands over the smooth skin of Chloe's thighs, she hooks them just above her butt as her eyes rake over Chloe's body, paying particular attention to the cleavage peaking through the unbuttoned two top buttons of the garment.

She doesn't think she has ever seen anyone able to make a plaid shirt look so good, so she tells Chloe so.

"God, you're sexy," she husks out against the shell of Chloe's ear, teeth grazing the lobe. Chloe's legs lock around her waist as Beca moves down to kiss the wine from her lips.

Chloe's cheek bones are reddened when Beca backs away, from the wine or the compliment, Beca isn't sure. The blue of her eyes is slightly darker, her pupils blown and her breathing slightly shallow.

She looks absolutely gorgeous, and Beca feels bare from the way Chloe is gazing at her through lush eyelashes.

She feels her insides flutter and her heart do that weird somersault thingy.

"I..." Beca stops herself before the words tumble out and ruin everything.

"What?" Chloe inquires with a curious tilt of the head.

"Nothing,"

It's not nothing. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It's huge, and completely surreal and Beca doesn't want to believe it's true.

She's in love with Chloe. There's no nuance about it, it's as clear as black ink on a white sheet of paper. It's overwhelming and calming at the same time.

A shift happens in Chloe's eyes right then, but Beca can't place what it is. The expression is fleeting, quickly hidden behind a small smile before Beca can analyze it some more.

She thinks Chloe might be onto her and her heart's shenanigans, but the redhead doesn't prod any further, instead leans in to capture Beca's lips in a lingering kiss.

/

 _"This better be important."_

Comes Stacie's sleep-laced voice at the end of the line. Beca couldn't sleep. Her thoughts have been wired ever since that fleeting moment in the kitchen last night.

Shortly after the sun rose, she got up and settled on the terrace, grateful for the dew temperatures cooling her body down.

"I fell in love with her," Beca rushes out, and God, it feels so good to say it outloud, even to the wrong person. "I fucking went and fell in love with her."

She knows it's the middle of the night in NYC, but she couldn't wait any longer, the truth wanted out. Beca can picture Stacie right now, ripping her sleep mask from her eyes and sitting up in bed in a flash, remaints of sleep vanishing over the shocking confession.

 _"Are you fucking joking me?"_

"She's... she's out of this world. She's kind and talented and she just... she gets me." Beca groans, dropping her forehead into her palm. The cicadas morning chant echoing in the garden almost sounds mocking. "God, what do I _do_ Stace?"

 _"Okay, first, take a breath, it sounds like you're about to have a coronary,"_ Stacie advises in a deadpan tone. _"You fell in love with her, so what?"_

"So what?" Beca parrots incredelously. "What do you mean, 'so _what_?' Did you not just hear what I said?"

 _"I did. And I don't know why you're freaking out about it. Isn't falling in love a good thing? Is she not into you or something?"_

"No, that's not it. I think she may have feelings for me, too, I just..." Beca grits her teeth, trying to put into words the tangled mess of emotions bubbling in her chest and making her squirm in frustration. "That's not _me_ , I don't fall in love."

 _"Says who? You? Because you've had much experience with love?"_

"Well, with Jesse I-" Beca begins to sputter out, before getting rudely interrupted by maniac laughter.

 _"Come on, no offense to either of you but that was never going to work out. You two were together because you were comfortable with one another, and it eventually ran its course."_

Beca can't argue with the fact that Stacie makes a valid point. It indeed felt comfortable with Jesse. To have arms wrapped around her at night and be coaxed into gentle kisses. Sex was okay, but she's never felt the crave for it, not like she does when it comes to Chloe.

"I..."

 _"I think it's a great thing. You've been all about work for so long, Beca. Allow yourself to let loose a little bit. Stop overthinking everything all the time and believing that opening your heart is necessarily going to hurt you. Not all people are capable of heartbreak. And from what you've told me in a few words, that girl seems pretty amazing."_

A smile tugs on her lips on its own accord at the mere mention of Chloe. "Yeah, she really is."

 _"Oh my God, this is totally Rom-Com material. So what is she like in bed?"_

 _"Okay_ , I'm hanging up now." Beca threatens, even though she's secretely thankful for the lighter subject.

 _"No, no! I'm sorry, don't hang up. I was just wondering since you'd never been with a girl before, correct?"_

Beca sighs almost in a dreamy-way. The things Chloe do to her. Her skin tingles in memories of that first night. And who is she kidding, all the nights that followed.

"Yes, correct. She was... patient and gentle and," heat blooms in her cheeks over her own words, "gave me a few pointers and _wow."_ Her eyes screw shut in mortified realization. "Why am I even telling you this?!"

 _"Ugh, I'm SO jealous."_

Beca smirks. It's not everyday she gets to brag about her sex life, to _Stacie_ of all people. "You should be."

 _"Alright, no need to rub it in,"_ Stacie grumbles. _"Seriously though? You deserve whatever Chloe is giving you. So embrace it and stop stressing out. Everything will work out."_

Beca takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. "Yeah. Thanks Stacie."

After ending the phone call, Beca slips back into bed as quietly as possible but the movement still makes Chloe rouse from her slumber. She stirs onto her side and presses her body against Beca's as she lies on her back.

"Where'd you disappear to?" she mumbles, voice laced with sleep. An arm is draped over her waist and warm lips lie a kiss upon her shoulder.

"Couldn't sleep," Beca whispers back, letting her hand run up and down Chloe's forearm. "Called my friend Stacie from New York."

Chloe's eyes open and gaze up at her, hazy and slightly unfocused. "Do you miss home?"

Beca shakes her head. "No, not really."

She is starting to think home is more about a person than a place itself.

/

Back in the capital, they fall into an easy routine. Chloe spends her days either at the gallery or on the hunt for her assignments. Beca sometimes goes with her, or stays in in Chloe's home, dotting pages and pages with lyrics and music notes.

She can't seem to stop. It has been so long since she's last felt this sparked, and distinctively knows what, or rather _who_ , is the muse behind her newly found inspiration.

She doesn't know what will happen when she has to go back to the US or even when will that be, and doesn't want to think about it. Chloe doesn't ask questions and they manage to dance around the subject.

They seem both content as it is, their unspoken agreement to enjoy their relationship – or whatever it is she and Chloe are doing – day by day.

Chloe shows her bits and pieces of her city to Beca each day, through strolls in the evenings, solving enigmas from a pocketbook called _50 enigmas to get to know Paris_ , or other crazy ideas.

"You want to go to a cemetery?" Beca's skepticism colors her tone. Chloe came home from work all excited about it ten minutes ago. "At _night_?"

Chloe is pulling her hair up into a bun, the motion causing her shirt to ride up and expose her toned stomach. Beca briefly forgets about skulls and dead people and feels herself flush bright red when Chloe catches her.

She winks, tossing Beca's jacket at her, clearly impatient to get going.

"It's underground ossuaries, Bec."

Beca rolls her eyes as she shrugs the leather on. "Same difference. Dead people. At _night_."

"Oh my gosh, don't be such a ball-sack, Beca," Chloe huffs, grabbing her keys off the counter as Beca shoves her feet into her sneakers. She pauses, arching an eyebrow towards Chloe.

"Ball-sack?" she echoes with a grimace. "Nobody says that, Chlo."

"I know. Everyone says pussy, which is a bit ironic when you think about how the female sexual organ is the strongest and most amazing piece of anatomy in the world."

Beca chokes on her saliva in bewilderment. "Oh my _God._ "

"What?" Chloe cries with a laugh, her innocent expression a great contrast to what she's claiming. "Clearly, and against all the bullshit society is feeding us, men are the weak ones, right? One pinch and they're on the floor," Chloe even demonstrates, bringing her pointer finger and thumb together. "I mean, come _on_. Women are pretty incredible."

Beca wonders how this woman is even real; a wicked and daring persona with next to no filter wrapped in a fuzzy layer of cuteness and sunshine. Not to mention extremely smart.

 _Sigh_. It's official; Beca needs another page for her list.

She straightens, and tugs on the lapels of her jacket to adjust it over her shoulders as she comes to a stop in front of Chloe. Hooking her thumbs through the belt-loops of Chloe's jeans, Beca tugs her flush against her and brushes Chloe's lips with her own.

"I agree. Women are amazing. _You_ are incredible."

"Okay!" Chloe announces after a beat, slightly red in the face. "Let's go before I rip your clothes off."

Beca hums, wiggling her eyebrows. "Now that's something I'd be more inclined to let you do instead of dragging me to a fucking... what's the word? Ossation?"

Chloe opens the door and lets Beca through so she can lock it behind her. "Ossuaries. Comes from the word 'Os' which means bone in French."

Beca shudders exaggeratedly. " _Lovely_."

The visit of the... ossuaries, commonly called by Parisians, _Les Catacombes_ as Beca learns from her private guide, turns out to be interesting and fun, even though it's creepy as hell and Beca isn't sure she'll be able to go to sleep tonight.

"The French resistance used this place during World War II, mainly to hide out from the Germans," Chloe tells her as they venture further down into darkness. "They would escape detection by the spies and could plan secret attacks on Nazis. The weird thing is, the Germans also used it, but the tunnels go on for so long that neither party was aware of the other."

Beca glances at Chloe in wonder. "How do you know all this?"

"I like history," Chloe shrugs as they steadily continue down the tunnel. Beca is comforted to see that the site is pretty popular and that they aren't the only knuckleheads crazy enough to do this at night (not that it makes much of a difference once underground, it's just the vibe it gives off).

Beca still jumps a foot from the ground when Chloe trails her hand up her arm without warning. She's wearing that mischievous expression that clearly indicates she wanted to spook Beca. Beca shoves her, snapping her head to the side to glare at the teenager who dares snickering at her.

"Little brat," she mutters under her breath, narrowing her eyes at his departing back.

"Beca!" Chloe chastises.

"What? It's not like he understands what I'm saying."

After their cheerful activity of the night, they grab sushi on the way home and get comfy in Chloe's living-room to eat it while watching a French movie called _Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain_.

Yes, Beca agreed to watch a movie, because she's fucking weak and Chloe's puppy dog-eyed expression is a dangerous and efficient tool. Plus, Chloe insisted that Beca _has_ to see this particular movie at least once in their lives, and so far Chloe's tastes have proven to be pretty cool, so Beca indulged.

The movie is nice and has a different dynamic compared to the ones Jesse has force-fed over their one year as a couple and eight years as friends. Beca doesn't _love_ it, but she kinda likes having Chloe cuddled into her side.

"I love the music," Chloe whispers absent-mindedly over one scene, as if afraid to speak over it. A blanket is draped over their laps even though it's twenty-five degrees Celsius outside.

Chloe insisted it was, along with pop-corn and cuddling, the mandatory item while watching a movie.

"Yeah," Beca breathes out as her eyes finally glance away from Chloe to focus back on the screen. She doesn't know when or how this Amélie chick got the guy, too enthralled by Chloe mouthing along with the words to notice.

She brushes her lips over Chloe's temple, then adds quietly, "I love it, too."

/

"Bec?" Chloe's voice barely reaches Beca's ear over the sound of the computer set between them on the mattress.

Somehow, somewhere between trading kisses and light confessions, May morphed into June.

Beca doesn't plan on going back to the US right away, but the fact that she's writing songs seemed to reassure her team, who stopped blowing up her phone to know what was up with her.

The temperatures are steadily becoming hotter, and Beca wishes they could go back to the south of France to benefit from the ocean.

The large window in Chloe's room is wide open, cool air and chatter from the street below filtering inside as they lie in bed.

She and Chloe spent their Sunday away from the beating sun, preferring to lounge in Chloe's apartment watching TV shows, eating snacks or breaking into impromptu dancing sessions.

Oh yeah, they had sex, too. Several rounds, because sex with Chloe is amazing and Beca feels like she needs to catch up after a decade spent wondering what all the hype was about.

"Hmm?" Beca hums absentmindedly, fingertips running up and down Chloe's arm in further acknowledgment. Chloe lifts her head from Beca's shoulder and leans forward to pause the episode of _Supergirl_ they have been watching.

She sits up, pivoting to face Beca and sitting back on her heels. "I wanna ask you something, but you don't have to say yes just because you feel like you have to. It's totes fine if you don't-"

"Chlo," Beca interrupts with a patient expression as she straightens against the headboard, interest peaked. Chloe isn't one to ramble, that's more Beca. "Just ask,"

Chloe takes a deep breath that makes Beca slightly nervous. "I was wondering if– if I could shoot you. As in, a photo shoot. Here, at my place. I've wanted to ask for a while I just... I thought you might get mad at me for even asking given your wariness about photographers."

"Chloe," Beca repeats and Chloe stops herself by sinking her teeth down on her bottom lip. It's an intriguing sight, witnessing Chloe be so shy and unsure about something. "I wouldn't get mad at you over something like this."

The visible slump in Chloe's shoulders tells Beca how nervous she was about her reaction.

"And regarding your request, what – what, um, would it be for?"

Chloe reaches across her lap to squeeze Beca's hand. "Just for us."

Beca sucks in a quick breath as Chloe moves to lie back down by her side, body angled towards Beca's. She presses a quick kiss to Beca's shoulder and cradles her chin in her propped-up hand, fond eyes meeting Beca's confused ones.

"Why?"

Chloe shrugs, as though the answer is written in bold letters. "Because you fascinate me."

There's this sort of awestruck rasp in Chloe's tone that makes Beca's head dangerously spin.

"I do?"

"Yeah," Chloe confirms coyly, dragging her fingers up Beca's arm. "You intrigue me like no one else has, before. You come across as someone distant and you have this shield around you that makes it difficult to perceive what you really think or feel,"

Chloe's touch is distracting as she trails her pointer finger along the curve of Beca's neck. Beca's brain jumps between getting lost in the sensation and focusing on Chloe's words.

"I usually try to stir away from people who give off a kind of cold, guarded vibe, but I couldn't stay away from you Beca, and I'm still trying to figure out why."

Chloe pauses, her blues intense as they slide up to lock onto Beca's.

"Why my mind and body react so strongly to you."

Beca draws in a shaky breath, chest heaving up and down under the effects of Chloe's scrutinizing gaze.

"It's mostly all in your eyes," Chloe resumes, hand hiking up to trace one of Beca's eyebrows with the tip of her finger. It then runs down the edge of Beca's jaw, over the bump of collarbone, goosebumps raising in its trail. "Their intensity is... breathtaking. Sometimes I feel like you can see right through me when you look at me."

Chloe's hand comes to a rest just below her left breast and Beca is afraid Chloe might feel just how hard her heart is thumping against her ribs.

"Like you can tell exactly what I'm thinking. Which I'm not used to, because I'm usually the one who gets to do that. But I was thrown off from the start, because I couldn't read you."

Beca wants to interrupt and tell Chloe she can; that she reads her like no one else she knows has ever been able to. That she easily wormed her way in, past Beca's walls, and went right to her heart.

But Chloe continues, oblivious to the fact that said heart is about to beat out of Beca's chest and into her palm.

"I feel like I don't know much about you, yet I kind of love that you are a mystery. You don't share a lot about yourself, but you've got me hooked every time you say something,"

Thankfully, or so Beca thinks, Chloe's hand is restless. It slides back up, away from Beca's chest to cup her jaw tenderly. Her thumb grazes over Beca's bottom lip.

"You make me feel things that I haven't felt with anyone before, without giving me everything I need to feel that way," Chloe shrugs when she falls silent, lips bending in a crooked smile, "Like a beautiful riddle."

A barely there whimper flits through Beca's lips, cutting through the thick, almost suffocating atmosphere.

"Okay," she agrees with a faint nod, surprising not only Chloe but herself.

Beca should be ticked off by how comfortable Chloe makes her feel and how deeply she trusts her after such a short time, but she can't find it in herself to come up with even an ounce of bitterness over that truth.

"Okay?"

"Yeah. When do you want to do it?"

Chloe looks as though she's still thrown off by Beca's answer. She sits up on her heels abruptly, drawing an amused chuckle from Beca. "How about now?"

Beca smiles at the obvious eagerness flashing in Chloe's eyes.

"Sure." Glancing down, she realizes she's only wearing a simple black tee and her underwear. "What should I wear?"

Chloe is already up and moving, and Beca feels lightly dizzy just watching her. She thinks Chloe might be a little bit nervous, and it's somehow comforting, because she's suddenly anxious, too; but from excitement, mostly.

Chloe pauses to shoot her a broad smile. "Anything you're comfortable with."

Beca smirks, "You need to give me back my shirt, then."

Chloe looks down at her attire (Beca's signature plaid shirt coupled with simple black lacy underwear, her favorite outfit ever since Beca barged into her life, it seems) and has the humility to blush.

"And what should _I_ wear?"

Feeling bold, Beca stands up to join her at the foot of the bed. Her hands hike up Chloe's sides to meet above the valley of Chloe's breasts. Her fingers pop the first button of her shirt.

"You never seem too shy to venture around naked, why start now?"

She pushes her own shirt off Chloe's shoulders, catching it before it drops to the ground, and it takes everything in her not to give in and let her eyes drop to Chloe's chest.

She kisses Chloe hard then, pulling away just before Chloe can even think about deepening it. Beca steps away, delighting in the way Chloe looks so worked-up. She pulls her tee over her head, leaving her standing in her underwear.

She's never felt at ease exposing her body to anyone before. It always felt so forced and unnatural with her previous partners that Beca avoided being in minimal clothing at all costs.

But now, standing next to completely naked in front of Chloe, she takes her time, relishing in the way Chloe's darkened eyes roam shamelessly over her body.

Beca knows Chloe wants to step closer and touch her, judging from the way she bites on her bottom lip and shuffles on the balls of her feet, her entire body buzzing with desire.

She doesn't though, but the way her eyes burn through Beca is just as efficient as Chloe's hands if they were on her skin.

It makes Beca feel as though she's the only woman to walk on this earth.

She's never sought it, never felt the need for it, yet it is incredibly empowering and brings forth another surge of confidence.

Shaking herself out of her daze, Beca slips into her shirt, laughing when Chloe blinks several times in succession.

"Get dressed, your weirdo," she says, tossing her abandoned tee at her.

Beca is no stranger to photo-shoots, obviously. They take a while to be set-up, and she always ends up scrolling through social media as she waits for everything to be ready, like the diva she has become.

Watching Chloe set up her equipment is endearing though. The redhead (who decided to change into yoga pants and Beca's tee, her hair up in a messy ponytail) is extremely focused on her task as she positions the lights and reflectors around the room. She does catch Beca's gaze every so often and sends her a cute smile or a wink.

They start with a few test shots, and Beca feels herself relaxing a little bit more with each one.

Perhaps it's because of the music drifting throughout the space from Chloe's speaker, or the fact that Chloe talks about nothing and everything as she clicks away.

"Red pandas? That's cute." Chloe states as she moves around Beca while the brunette sits against the wall, on knee tucked into her chest, her chin propped on top.

"Would you mind wearing your hair down for a couple shots?" Chloe requests as she lowers her camera to let it hang around her neck. "It has a natural wave to it and I think it's sexy when it's down."

Beca shakes her head as she tries to control her rapidly increasing heartbeat, reaching behind her to let her hair loose from its elastic band. "What's yours?"

Chloe smiles and crouches to comb her fingers through Beca's dark auburn curls. "Otters. Can we do a couple shots standing up?"

Beca nods and rises to her feet, back resting against the deep gray colored wall behind her. "Otters, though? Why?"

Chloe gasps at Beca's skepticism.

"They are so cute! They hold hands while they sleep not to drift away from each other. I mean.. if that's not the most adorable thing, I don't know what is." Beca laughs, shaking her head slightly as Chloe takes another few shots. "Besides, they make the funniest nose."

Lowering her camera again, Chloe obviously _has_ to prove her point by imitating the noise an otter makes, hands coming up by the sides of her face to impersonate their paws.

"Oh my God," Beca blurts out, her growing grin taking up half her face. The muscles in her cheeks are starting to feel strained from all the beaming. "Are you for real?"

Chloe sends her a cute smile and steps in front of Beca to adjust her shirt the way she likes. She pops another button open. "This okay?"

Beca has never met such a considerate photographer. She nods. "You certainly like manhandling me, Beale."

"Busted." Chloe deadpans, then falls silent for a few shots. "Would you mind sitting on the window ledge?"

"Sure."

"What job would you be doing if you weren't a bad-ass musician?" she continues as she clicks away, moving around Beca to switch angles.

"I don't know," Beca admits in all honesty, pursing her lips as she thinks. "Music has always been the something I was attracted to. I don't... I don't think my life would have the same meaning if I couldn't make music for a living," she catches up with her words, rolling her eyes at herself. "That was cheesy."

"Not at all," Chloe replies quietly, drawing Beca's attention back to her. "I feel the same about photography, really."

Beca runs a hand through her hair to fluff it. "So you wouldn't see yourself doing anything else?"

"Not really. I guess if I had to, I would be a vet. I've always loved animals and been a strong advocate for their well-being, so that would only make sense."

She pauses and looks at her view finder, lips pinched together as she hums.

"What is it?" Beca asks, shifting in her spot. Maybe she's sucking at this and Chloe isn't satisfied with how the photo-shoot is going.

"Nothing," Chloe offers in response and Beca believes her. She watches Chloe step closer, instinctively tilting her head up when Chloe lowers hers for a kiss. "I love this shirt on you, babe."

Beca still needs to learn to accept compliments _and_ terms of endearment being directed at her. For now, her face is burning from the attention.

"Well, maybe I could wear it more often if you weren't stealing it all the goddamn time."

The wink Chloe sends her makes Beca's insides feel funny. Those fucking butterflies again. "You love it."

The shoot continues smoothly, broken apart here and there by stolen kisses, song jamming sessions and goofy hairstyle changes attempts. It feels so natural that Beca nearly forgets Chloe is taking pictures. She's switched outfits a couple times, now wearing a dark gray tee and black ripped jeans as she lies on her side across the width of Chloe's bed.

"Ce n'est pas moi," It takes a second for Beca to realize Chloe is speaking French and another to acknowledge she's reading out the quote inked on the inside of her arm, which is extended in front of her. It's the first time Beca hears it in perfect French and it sends tingles underneath her skin, as though shaking the tattoo awake. She catches Chloe's eye when she lowers the camera. "It's not me."

Beca breaks eye contact, lifting her arm above her head to look at the quote and trace it with her fingers like she's done many times over the years.

"Yeah, I..." she shrugs as the bed dips.

Chloe settles next to her, photo-shoot seemingly on hold for now. The unwavering intentness of Chloe's gaze makes her slightly self-conscious, especially about what she's about to share. She takes a deep breath.

"My dad, he... he was the best dad a daughter could ask for during the first ten years of my life. He was my hero. I wanted to be like him when I grew up but then..." she hears her voice break and clears her throat to try and erase her slip-up. "He _left_. Out of the blue. He left my mom and I and never looked back."

Chloe's eyebrow furrows as she slips her hand into Beca's. "I'm sorry,"

"He breached my trust. Towards him, towards anyone else who would waltz into my life after that. I started to despise how fragile his actions made me. I wanted to hide that vulnerability aside and eventually built these walls around me to protect myself."

"But it wasn't really you," Chloe cuts in before Beca can say in. She nods, looking down at their entwined hands.

"Exactly. It was just a facade at first, but the longer it went on, the more I believed I had become this angry, bitter person. I had this tattoo done to remind myself that past the mask, I was still a good person."

"I can attest to that," Chloe tells her with a soft smile. "That you are a good person. Selfless, caring and kind."

Beca feels her cheeks warm up and leans in to press her lips to Chloe in silent appreciation.

"Can I ask why you got it in French? I noticed it during our first night together but didn't want to pry."

"Thank you for that," Beca says, then smiles fondly. "My grandmother was French. She um, she was from Be-Besan-something."

"Besançon," Chloe provides with a nod.

"Yeah. But she fled to the US with her parents during the war. I think she was only four at the time. She didn't speak much French, at least she didn't speak it with me, but I knew how important her roots were to her, even though she spent the most of her life in the States and married an American man."

Beca clears her throat when she feels it clog up with emotion.

"We were particularly close. She was a very wise woman. She used to tell me that I should always strive to become the best version of myself. To be kind and tolerant to others. So when I started closing in on myself, I didn't want her to be disappointed in me, even though she had passed a few years before that,"

Beca pauses to trace the quote once more, the memories of her grandmother tugging at her heartstrings.

"I got the tattoo in French as a nod to her, as if to tell her that it was okay, that I didn't forget about what she said. It became a sort of secret bond between she and I. I wanted her to know that I was still a good person, under all those layers of bitterness. And that I would always try to do my best to be a better one."

She sighs, trying to come up with the right words.

"And maybe, I still relate to this tattoo even now. I'm still guarded around most people I meet. It still takes a lot of time and effort for me to trust people. I want to, but there's always this part of me backtracking, for fear of getting hurt. I'm not- I'm not a bad person, I just... I don't let people in."

"Being wary about trusting people does _not_ make you a bad person," Chloe's words are marked by a squeeze to Beca's hand. "Trust is something that someone has to work for in order to get it. And once they have it, they should keep it safe."

Beca nods, eyes sliding up to meet Chloe's. She gets slightly short of breath by the obvious love staring back at her. It's raw and untouched, its intensity causing the tangled mess of emotions inside Beca's chest unravel.

She realizes just then that the many things she's feeling for Chloe are maybe not so crazy. That maybe, Chloe feels exactly the same way.

"Yet here I am, sharing all those things with you, things that I haven't shared with anyone before. You – you burst into my life when I least expected it and managed to worm your way past the walls I spent years polishing off and... I don't, I don't even feel upset about it. I feel... comforted in fact, by how well you get me. By how well we work together even though we have known each other for, what, five weeks?"

Smiling gently, Chloe nods her head.

"Chloe?" Beca asks tentatively after a stretch of silence, but it really is useless, because Chloe isstaring at her with the utmost attention. "I..."

The words die on her tongue, reigned back in by the anxiety bubbling in her chest. Beca screws her eyes shut, wincing at how ridiculous she is being. It shouldn't be so hard to share her feelings, yet she doesn't think she has been so scared to confess anything the way she is now.

That's how important Chloe has become to her.

"Hey," Chloe's soft tone anchors her down when she feels herself slipping away. She lets go of Beca's hand to cup her cheek tenderly. "It's just me."

"I think- No. I _know_ ," Beca gulps. "That I fell in love with you along the way."

She registers Chloe's sharp inhale and closes her eyes to avoid having to look at Chloe's expression. She can't take rejection. The mere thought of Chloe not feeling the same way has her stomach clench painfully.

The panic unleashing inside of Beca makes words tumble out of her mouth before she can get a proper grip on them.

"I fucking fell in love with you and it's crazy because I don't know how to love someone the right way and the things I feel for you scare the fuck out of me and -"

"Bec, Beca-" Chloe interrupts, shooting a hand to Beca's mouth to cover it with her fingers. " _Stop._ Baby," She laughs lightly, her fingers slipping away. "Take a breath and start over, it's not like I'm going anywhere."

Beca's chest deflates as she exhales, closing her eyes for a beat to try and organize her jammed-up thoughts. She eventually stirs back on her side, one hand under her cheek while the other balls into a fist, resting between their bodies.

"Sorry. I'm not used to sharing my feelings."

"You don't say," Chloe teases lightly, leaning in to kiss the corner of Beca's mouth. "For the record, I'm kinda scared, too."

Beca's eyebrows raise in surprise. "You are?"

"Yes," Chloe confirms with a shy nod. "This is kinda surreal, how in love with you I am after such a short time."

"Wait-" Beca feels her own eyes widen. "You _are_?"

Chloe shakes her head lightly, a fond expression lighting up her eyes. "You're kinda dense sometimes, aren't you?"

Beca laughs before she can stop herself. "Shut up,"

She rolls onto her back, away from Chloe, but Chloe only follows her, promptly laying on top of her.

She kisses Beca to placate her.

"I know that our situation is unexpected and challenging, and I can't tell you where this is going because like you said, there's literally an ocean between us," Chloe sighs, her hand moving up to hold Beca's jaw. Beca lets her eyes slide shut, sinking into her touch. "So how about this, I enjoy spending time with you and I know you enjoy spending time with me, too and right now we can just focus on that. Are you comfortable with that? Enjoying our time together without necessarily figuring out what comes next?"

"Yeah," Beca breathes out, squeezing the dip of Chloe's waist gently. "As long as it means I get to spend time with you."

Chloe giggles, nudging her nose against Beca's. "Okay, cheese-ball."

Beca ignores the teasing and swoops in to press her lips across Chloe's in the softest of kisses.

One that steals her breath and gives it back all at once.

One that speaks a thousand words. Or rather, three, little in their size but great in their meaning. Words that Beca never thought she could bring herself to say out loud.

Beca pulls away, resting her forehead against Chloe. "I love you,"

"I love you, too, Bec."

Three little words she never thought she needed to hear so badly.

They shatter the vice wrapped around her heart and allow it to soar with the amount of love she holds for Chloe.

It settles in her chest, beating calmly against her ribs.

She feels bare, yet safe. It's a strange, unsettling feeling, but she wouldn't trade it for anything.

/

"Where are we?"

Beca asks absently as she and Chloe stroll in a narrow cobblestone street tucked away from the Parisian bustle and hustle. It's so quiet that Beca can actually hear the birds chirping as they hop along the ivy woven through an arch they've just walked under.

"I don't know," Chloe replies with a cheeky grin, skipping ahead and spinning around to walk backwards. She slips her hand into Beca's to tug her along.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Beca questions with a frown. She slips her Ray-Ban back over her nose as they leave the shadows provided by a tall building. "I thought you knew the city like the back of your hand?"

Chloe walks towards the side, stopping when her back finds the wall of a house. "Paris is big city. I still have plenty of places to discover."

Beca steps closer, the scuff of her shoes bumping against Chloe's, and sets her hand by Chloe's head on the wall, while the other curls around the curve of her waist.

"So what you're saying is," she drawls out, gaze jumping back and forth between Chloe's eyes and mouth. She leans in to breathe the words against Chloe's lips. "we're _lost_?"

She registers Chloe's shaky inhale, unable to resist a smirk at the sound. "Not necessarily. But that's the beauty of it. You can have no idea where you are, but still be exactly where you need to be."

"Mmm," she purses her lips, then dips in to kiss Chloe chastely. "I think you just don't want to admit you are a cheap guide and you're just bullshitting me with a corny saying."

Chloe's jaw drops as she gasps, delivering a playful slap to Beca's shoulder. "How dare you, Beca Mitchell!"

"I'm kidding," Beca laughs, squeezing Chloe's hip. She nudges her nose against Chloe's and kisses her again. "I don't mind getting lost as long as it's with you."

Chloe wraps an arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer, as much as possible without crushing the compact camera hanging from her neck between them.

"Now, who's the corny one?"

Beca shrugs. She's past pretending how big of a cheesy dork she is, by now.

"Guilty as charged."

/

Sex with Chloe is something she never stops craving.

Sometimes it's gentle, other times more daring, but it never fails to teach Beca things about her own body that she wasn't aware of before.

The way it lights on fire by a simple stroke over her lower abdomen or how her blood turns to scorching hot when Chloe's lips brush against that spot on her neck.

Or the way her desire barrels through any ounce of self-consciousness in her body whenever Chloe touches her.

"Chlo," Beca croaks out, pulling away from the kiss as much as she can given the fact her head is already buried in the pillow behind her. Her back arches, encouraging Chloe's hand to move lower as it rests by the waistband of her panties. She can't believe what she's about to say but, "Speak French to me."

The way Chloe's eyes darken with lust over the request makes Beca swallow painfully. Chloe's tongue darts out to lick her lips, and then she leans to husk out in Beca's ear, "Je vais te lêcher jusqu'à ce que tu jouisses au moins une centaine de fois."

Beca whimpers, Chloe's raspy tone and words magnifying the ache between her legs to something nearly unbearable. She's certain her underwear is ruined, by now. Her hips lift off the bed on their own command, wordlessly begging Chloe's still hand to move down.

"What did you say?" Beca pants out, teeth sinking down on her lip as Chloe's fingers dip past the lace material and find wet heat.

"Probably the dirtiest thing I've ever said in my life," she admits with a sheepish grin. Then, she leans forward and murmurs the answer to Beca's question just as her thumb expertly circles Beca's clit. "I'm going to lick you until you come at least a hundred times."

Beca's eyes roll back. "Oh, dear God,"

She is sure the sound that rips from her insides doesn't even belong to her; it's almost animalistic. She wants Chloe to do whatever she's just done with her fingers again. And again, and again, until her quivering body finds release.

She barely has time to catch her breath as Chloe is already kissing her way down her body with determination. True to her promise, she does heavenly things with her tongue, not giving Beca a moment of reprieve until she's come undone more times than she can count; until she is left a shaking mess.

"Fuck," she croaks out, muscles still spamming in waves in the aftermath of the _she-doesnt-how-many-this-one-makes_ orgasm. Chloe's tongue is still running over her, gently this time, coaxing her down from her high. "No more. I... can't."

She hears Chloe chuckle somewhere in the thick fog surrounding her ears and wants to make a snide comment but her brain is currently on strike. Chloe kisses up her stomach, chest and finally rolls onto her side by Beca.

"You okay?" she asks, a blend of concern and amusement in her eyes. Her fingers are tracing patterns along Beca's lower stomach and Beca can feel the touch echo in her toes. "Because I believe we still have ninety-four to go."

"Ninety-four-" Beca whimpers, twisting her head to meet Chloe's eyes. Has she really come six times in a row? Or was it just one big orgasm that dragged on for twenty minutes? "You kept _count_?"

"Yeah, you didn't look like you were capable of, so,"

Beca shoves her shoulder and rolls her eyes. "Stop being so smug,"

"I can't help it. I love getting to watch you get your release," Chloe whispers, pressing an open-mouth kiss to Beca's neck, then another to her collarbone. Beca's breathing catches in her throat as Chloe's hand moves lower over her stomach. "You look so beautiful when you do, the way your lips part and your back arches and how your hips press against my mouth. I don't get tired of watching. And the sounds you make... the way my name is ripped from your insides..." Chloe shivers. "Goodness."

"Fuck," Beca moans as her heart-rate steadily picks up. She knows she's blushing by now and it takes everything in her power to seize Chloe's hand before it can inch lower. "Give me a breather, Chlo."

"Sorry," Chloe murmurs, sheepishly biting on the corner of her mouth as she retracts her hand. She kisses Beca softly, resting her forehead against Beca's when they part. "Hey Bec?"

"Mmm?"

She is getting slightly cross-eyed from counting all the shades of blues staring back at her.

"Je t'aime," Chloe whispers, kissing Beca on the forehead, "Un peu," on the nose, "passionnément," on the chin, and on the lips. "à la _folie_."

/

When mid-July rolls around, Beca knows well-enough that she can't keep avoiding her responsibilities. She needs to get back to the real world, no matter how painful it might be.

While Chloe is at her gallery on a Monday afternoon, Beca sits down for an hour-long video-call with her producers and her agent and they agree on the plan regarding her second album, a plan that would delay as much as possible her return to the States.

They need to have the vocals in by mid-August, so they can hope for a release just before December and aim for a Grammy nomination in March next year.

Two _weeks_.

That's all she has left before she crashes back to reality. Before she has to leave Chloe, who has become the reason she falls asleep at night and gets up in the mornings.

Beca is still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she won't get to see Chloe everyday when that very person walks through the door that evening.

"Hey," she greets quietly as she sets her keys down on the counter by the entrance. Beca wants to send her a smile, but it comes out strained and tense, barely noticeable over the pain in her chest that she knows is reflecting in her eyes.

Chloe tilts her head to the side and smiles sadly, too. She walks to the couch, from where Beca has barely moved since the call ended. Her phone is still clutched in her hand, as she sits hunched over, elbows braced on her knees.

Chloe takes a seat next to her, tucking one leg underneath her body while the other dangles off the couch. She lies a soft kiss on the back of Beca's neck, resting a hand over her opposite shoulder.

"What did they say?"

"Um, I have to go back to New York in two weeks," Beca replies shakily.

Chloe hums and sets her chin on Beca's shoulder. "We'll figure something out, baby."

Beca turns her head, resting the side of it against Chloe's as her eyes slip close. Chloe smells good and feels warm against her, and Beca instantly feels a tiny bit calmer.

"Promise?"

"Yeah. I promise."

And Beca believes her with all she has.

/

Beca zips up her suitcase with a heavy sigh. She pushes against the onslaught of tears and rises from her crouched position, looking around the room to make sure she hasn't forgotten anything.

It's her last night in Paris, and her last night with Chloe, at least for a while.

She can hear Chloe hum a tune in the kitchen and clenches her teeth to keep herself from breaking down.

"Get it fucking together, Mitchell."

Blowing out a shuddering breath, Beca leaves Chloe's bedroom in direction of the kitchen. She stands by the doorway for a few seconds, watching Chloe sway to the music coming from the speakers as she stirs whatever is cooking on the stove.

She steps closer, letting her fingertips trail over the counter as she comes to stand behind Chloe. Beca wraps her arms around Chloe's waist and presses her lips to her covered shoulder, breathing in her scent.

"You smell good," she whispers, resting her forehead against Chloe's shoulder-blade. Chloe leans into her embrace and lies a hand over hers. "Dinner doesn't smell too bad, either."

"Oh, I'm glad," Giggling, Chloe turns into her arms and drapes hers over Beca's shoulders. "How's packing going?"

"Um, all done."

"I'm not sure," Chloe says, twisting in Beca's arms and reaching behind her to grab an envelope from the top of the micro-wave. "I think you forgot this."

Beca frowns and lets go of Chloe waist to take it. "What's this?"

Chloe shrugs. "Nothing much, just a little something as a souvenir."

Beca opens the envelope, taking out a bunch of Polaroid pictures. Flipping through them, Beca notes there are some she remembers taking with Chloe, and others that Chloe took without her noticing, like the one where she's asleep cuddled into Chloe's side while Chloe is wide awake and smiling at the camera.

Most have a caption, written in Chloe's neat cursive at the bottom.

The last one of the pile is a snapshot of she and Chloe kissing. She recognizes the background as the garden at Chloe's childhood home with its willow tree and blue picket fence.

It's not really a kiss. Beca is grinning against Chloe's mouth, and she can tell from Chloe's dimples that she's about to crack a smile, too.

The photograph strums deep within Beca. It tells a story, of how she found the one thing she has been seeking all this time. How that something turned out to be some _one_.

And how letting that someone go is bound to be the most difficult thing she has ever done in her life.

A droplet falls onto the picture, and it's only then that Beca acknowledges the tears pooling in her eyes and blurring her vision.

"Baby," Chloe's whisper makes her look up to find Chloe staring at her with a frown. She cups Beca's cheek, stroking her thumb over wet skin.

"I'm sorry," Beca mutters, stepping away. She wipes her tears with her palm, then with the back of her hand. "This is our last night together and I'm a blubbering mess."

"It's okay," Chloe's hand wraps around her wrist to tug Beca back towards her gently. "I cried twice in the bathroom today, y'know."

Choking on a watery laugh, Beca grips the lapels of Chloe's shirt to pull her closer. She rests her forehead against Chloe's chest as Chloe wraps her arms around her waist and sways gently from left to right.

"We'll figure something out," she mumbles into Beca's hair, pressing her lips to her temple.

"You keep saying that," Beca mutters with a sigh as she backs away to seek Chloe's gaze. "But even if we figure something out, I'll still live in New York and you here in Paris. That's still a five-hour plane ride away, at least, and several time zones. It's not-" a frustrated sigh flits through her lips. "Long distance relationships aren't easy, Chloe."

Chloe frowns, letting her hands drop to her side as Beca starts to pace. "It can be if we have faith in each other."

Beca scoffs, and stops, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's _bullshit_. I'll get to see you once every three months at the most. I'm going to get incredibly busy with my album and you with your galleries and-"

"What are you saying, Beca?" Chloe's voice breaks over the words, propelling a spike directly to Beca's heart. For the first time, she sees bits of vulnerability in Chloe's eyes and it makes her falter. "Are you saying that's it's not even worth a shot?"

"No," she murmurs weakly, shaking her head as she takes quick strides to meet Chloe. She takes both of Chloe's hands in hers and swallows painfully at the sight of Chloe's tear-filled-eyes. "No, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. I do, I do want to give this a try, I just... I don't think we realize how challenging it's going to be,"

"We'll make it simple," Chloe insists, squeezing Beca's usually steady hands. She sets her forehead against Beca's and draws in a quivering breath. A few tears run down her cheeks, curling around her chin and dropping onto their laced hands, tucked between their bodies. "I promise, we'll find a way. Okay?"

"Okay."

Okay.

/

Beca has never hated her alarm-clock as much as she does the following morning.

The sunlight is already filtering through the small gap left in the window curtains. She blinks against the harsh invasion and blindly slaps at her phone to silence it.

Burrowing herself deeper under the covers, Beca shuffles closer to the warm body sleeping next to her. She hears Chloe's breathing get more uneven; a telltale sound that she's slowly waking up.

"Can we just ignore our responsibilities and stay here?" Beca mumbles groggily, hooking a leg between Chloe's and squeezing an arm around her waist as Chloe lies on her back. Nudging her lightly, Chloe frees her arm to wrap it around Beca's frame.

"No, because you, my bad-ass little musician, have a kick-ass album to record and I can't wait to hear it."

"You're right, I just feel... I don't know."

There is probably no word in any language able to define what she's feeling; apprehension, dread, sadness, hope, love... all of those are blended in a inextricable web nesting deep in her chest, wrapping around her lungs and making any trade of air difficult.

"I know," Chloe's lips brush against her forehead. "I feel the same way."

Lifting her head from Chloe's chest, Beca cups her jaw and tugs her down for a morning kiss that lasts longer than it should given that she needs to get up in five minutes if she wants to make it to the airport in time.

"I have to get up, baby," she whispers against Chloe's lips, backing away before Chloe can even think about deepening it. "As much as I'd like to stay here and do a little bit more of that, there's a cab coming to pick me up in two hours."

"A cab?" Chloe questions in surprise. "I thought I was driving you to the airport?"

"I know but... we both know that will make it only harder. Besides, paps are likely to be there, and you want to be able to kiss me before I leave, don't you?"

A sudden switch in position makes her squeak as Chloe rolls them over to lie on top of her. Having Chloe's very naked body press against her own doesn't help Beca's battle with her inner-self to get up.

"That, and a lot of other things I want to do with you, Beca Mitchell."

The fact that Chloe doesn't add _before you leave_ to that sentence doesn't fly above Beca's head. She pushes a strand of hair away from Chloe's face, marveling at how beautiful she is, hazy-eyed and voice leaden with leftover sleep.

"I love you," Beca murmurs, letting her fingers trail down Chloe's jaw. Chloe dips down for a gentle kiss, lips brushing over Beca's and skipping down her chin, the column of her throat, the- "Chloe,"

"Sorry," Chloe offers sheepishly, reappearing in Beca's line of sight. "Can't help it. You're just too irresistible."

"Oh my God, I need to get away from you," Beca mutters, the tip of her ears surely having turned red from the intensity of Chloe's gaze. "If we get up now I'll make us breakfast."

"Sweet," Chloe kisses her again, and again, before she scrambles off the bed and makes a dash for the bathroom. Beca laughs, eyes trailing after the redhead. She hears the sound of water running, and then Chloe's head pops in the doorway. "You coming, or...?"

Yep, that woman will be the death of her.

/

"Call me when you land, okay?"

Beca nods. Her carry-on is at her feet, and her suitcase and guitar case are already in the trunk of the cab waiting for her by the curb. Her passport feels heavy, burning a hole in her jacket pocket as she stands in front of Chloe in the lobby of her building.

"It'll be late here by the time I get to,"

"I don't care," Chloe says quietly. She grips the lapels of Beca's leather jacket to pull her closer and leans down to slur in her ear, "I left a little something to remember me by in your suitcase."

Beca groans, knowing from Chloe's tone that that little something is far from innocent.

"And now I wish I had left you something sexier than my plaid shirt,"

Chloe nibbles on her bottom lip, "It's plenty sexy."

"On you?" Beca archs an eyebrow as her arms snake around Chloe's waist to pull her flush against her. "Heck yeah."

"Okay, sweet-talker," Chloe inhales, twisting her head to glance at the cab, then back at Beca. Beca feels the playful atmosphere shift into a much more serious one. "I'm really glad you bumped into me that day,"

Tears prick behind Beca's eyeballs, but she grinds her teeth together and curls her toes to keep them at bay. At least for now.

"Yeah, for once my clumsiness got me somewhere," she attempts to joke, but the bitterness coloring her tone fails to make it funny. She casts her eyes down to her watch and closes them briefly. "I have to go,"

"I know, just..." Chloe's voice catches on a sob and it takes every ounce of strength left in Beca not to give in to the onslaught of emotions ripping at her chest. "Just another minute?"

Beca nods, kissing Chloe softly before lowering her head to the crook of her neck. She lies another kiss there, against Chloe's pulse point. "I love you,"

"I love you, too."

They remain laced for a measureless moment, breathing each other in. Beca eventually finds the strength to step away, not before squeezing Chloe's waist.

Tears topple down Chloe's cheeks, but she doesn't make any move to push them away, so Beca doesn't either. "I'll see you soon, right?"

"I'll hold you to that," Chloe gives her a firm nod and manages a small smile that lights up her tear-streaked features. "You won't be rid of me that quickly."

Beca leans up to press her lips to Chloe's one last time, their taste salty with mingled tears.

"Okay, go," Chloe says, pushing lightly at her chest in encouragement.

Beca nods, more to herself than to Chloe. She picks up her carry-on and shoulders it, turning around with every intent of walking to the cab.

Faltering when a sob reaches her ears, Beca spins around and takes a couple of strides towards Chloe to pull her down in a searing kiss, one full of promises for the time apart to come.

Chloe whimpers, fingers tangling in Beca's dark tresses when her hands fly up to cup her neck.

"Okay, okay," Beca breathes heavily as they part. She rubs her lips together, in an attempt to remember what Chloe's taste like.

Chloe kisses her again, softly and shortly, nudging her nose against Beca's sweetly before being the responsible one and taking a step back. Her hands run down Beca's arms until she's suddenly out of reach, arms falling limp by her sides.

Curling her own hands into fists to keep herself from bolting forward again, Beca locks eyes with Chloe one last time. She pivots on her heels and marches away, her heart breaking further and further with each step, until it finally snaps as she slides into the car and thickly orders the driver to drive away.

Away from Chloe.

Away from the best thing that ever happened to her.

Beca simply hopes it's a new chapter beginning now, not the end of their story.

* * *

References in this fic, for those interested:  
\- "Auprès de ma blonde" is the song sung by Chloe in the kitchen, inspired by the version used in the trailer of "Nos Années Folles" (worth a listen!). The original version is horrible (initially a patriotic song)  
\- Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain, the film is ok but the music is amazing. Composed by Yann Tiersen (also behind the music of Goodbye!Lenin), who is from my hometown! Personal favorite is La Noyée, definitely worth listening to.

Translations:  
Ce n'est rien = it's nothing/don't worry about it  
Je ne regardais pas où j'allais = I wasn't paying attention  
Oh, vous ne parlez pas français? = Oh, you don't speak French?  
Je t'aime, Un peu, passionnément, à la folie = I love you, a little, passionately, madly

And yes, French cheese + baguette is what heaven is made of, nobody can convince me otherwise.

Stay tuned for part 2! Comments are always appreciated!


	2. Retrouvailles

**retrouvailles** _(noun)_ : the joy of reuniting with someone you haven't seen in a long time.

* * *

Jet-lag is a bitch.

Beca lets out an umpteeth sigh as she lies on her back, fingers drumming against her stomach while she stares at the ceiling. It's four AM and she's wide awake.

Also, being alone _sucks_.

Her mind keeps skipping back to Chloe and the moments they spent together over those two months.

Looking back, it's as though she stepped into another dimension during her time in France. As cheesy as it sounds, everything felt... right.

She now sort of gets the hype about being in love and finding the person that loves you back just as much. It still feels odd and unsettling to think about how a person is the reason behind the happiness lighting up her mind and body.

The mere thought of Chloe makes her insides feel giddy. There's a stupid smile on her face, despite the fact that it's the middle of the night and she's wide awake, and most likely looking at a ten hour session in the studio today.

The chime of her cellphone on her bedside table stirs Beca away from her thoughts. Reaching out, she grabs it and squints at the screen. That smile morphs into a grin on its own accord upon seeing it's a text from Chloe.

Swiping her finger across the screen to open it, Beca gulps when her eyes fall into big baby blues. Chloe is pouting at the camera, as she lies in bed (Beca recognizes the floral pillows) wearing Beca's plaid shirt.

 **Chloe [4:03 AM]**

 _Woke up to an empty bed this morning :( :( :( miss you like crazy, already._

Beca's heart both aches and flutters as she runs her eyes over the picture. Instead of typing out a reply, she taps on Chloe's name and hits the video icon on the top right corner of her screen. As it connects, she reaches out to turn on her bedside table lamp.

There's a shuffle and the image is shaky for a few seconds before Chloe's face lights up the screen.

" _Hi!"_

"Hey," Beca replies, clearing her throat from its layer of leftover sleep. She can tell Chloe's walking in the street, the movement and the bustle and hustle of the Parisian busy life adding to the background noise.

" _Jet-lag?"_

"Yeah. And you know, that picture you sent me is not going to help me fall back asleep."

Chloe laughs and sends her a wink. _"Sorry?"_

"Yeah, right," Beca rolls her eyes.

" _Does it help in anyway to know that the shirt was the only thing I was wearing last night?"_

"Fucking hell, Chlo," Beca growls, her eyes slipping shut momentarily, just to let herself be basked in the images materialized by that sentence in her mind. She opens them again to a smirking Chloe and inhales sharply, sticking her bottom lip out into a pout. "Not fair."

Chloe giggles. _"Sorry, couldn't help it."_

Beca hums with a doubtful scowl. "On your way to the gallery?"

" _Yeah! I need to develop some film and then probably going for a street hunt after lunch."_

Chloe's excited tone makes Beca smile fondly. Beca tucks a hand under her head to get more comfortable, smiling at the screen. "What's your assignment this week?"

" _I haven't thought about one, yet."_ Chloe purses her lips and then her eyes light like they do each time she's struck with an idea. _"Ooh, wanna give me one?"_

Surprised, Beca raises an eyebrow. " _Me?_ "

Chloe chuckles. _"Yes, **you**."_

"Okay," Beca thinks about it for a few seconds. "Music."

" _Yay! I was hoping you'd say that."_

"Am I that predictable?"

" _Yes. It wasn't hard to guess, since music is all you think about."_

"That, and you."

Chloe visibly falters, blinking in surprise. She narrows her eyes once she has regained her composure. _"Who are you and what have you done to my awkward girlfriend?"_

Beca's tongue feels swollen as the term echoes in her head. "Girlfriend?"

" _Well, yeah,"_ Chloe shrugs, lips curving into a smile. An amused laugh flits through her lips when Beca doesn't answer right away. _"Are you okay?"_

Beca really has to get used to that new sensation doing strange and concerning things to her body. Like organs shifting or something, as if her insides were trying to accommodate something bigger than her.

"Y-yeah."

" _Bec,"_ Chloe says sweetly, eyes filled to the rim with affection. _"I didn't mean to throw you off. We don't have to put a label on it, I just... I thought that's what we were."_

It dawns on Beca just then how much they let themselves drift away in those few weeks of bliss and never really addressed those things.

"No, no, I'm sorry, I," Beca sighs and counts to three, trying to give her jammed-up thoughts time to untangle. "It is. It just feels weird to hear it out-loud. Good weird!" she adds quickly when Chloe looks at her quizzically.

God, she sucks at this relationship thing. She herself knew that, but wanted to delay that realization for Chloe as long as possible.

"I want to be your... girlfriend. I don't want to see other people and I don't want you to see other people. And I hate how patronizing that sounds, but yeah, I don't– I don't want to share you."

Beca stops to take a breath; she's well aware her face is flushed from embarrassment. She feels like she has just finished running a hurdles sprint and painfully caught a few of those with her knees.

" _Well, I'm glad we agree on that."_ Chloe says with a playful grin. " _You're cute._ "

Beca grunts and throws her forearm over her eyes. "You've definitely reached strike three. Well, more like strike eleven or something, but I let the other ones slide."

" _So what you're saying is I need to be punished?"_

Beca laughs.

"Is there some sort of BDSM fetish you'd like to share with me, Chlo? Cause you seem very inclined to being punished."

The words alone make her face burn and it of course doesn't go unnoticed by Chloe.

Chloe smirks wickedly. She's stopped walking and Beca guesses she's at a stop light. _"I wouldn't say fetish, but I wouldn't be opposed to, y'know, handcuffs and other toys either."_

Beca can't believe Chloe is having this conversation on a crowded street. It's in English, sure, but still. The straight face she manages to maintain is impressive and something maybe Beca hopes to achieve someday when talking about anything remotely sexual.

Chloe winks at her again as she resumes walking, and Beca isn't sure she'll be able _not_ to do anything about how hot her body is running, once the phone call ends.

"Jesus."

" _It's Chloe."_ She snickers, visibly strumming from her effect on Beca. _"I need to let you go, babe, I'm about to go down into the Metro and I won't get any cell reception."_

Beca scoffs. "Sure, leave me to hang out and dry."

Her words play back in her head only when she catches Chloe's pursed lips and twinkling eyes, as though she wants to say something dirty but refrains. Beca squints at her.

"I hate you."

" _Nah, you love meeee,"_

"Ugh," Beca rolls her eyes. "You're infuriating. But yeah, I do."

" _I love you, too. Try and get some sleep, sweetie. Talk later?"_

"Yeah. Bye,"

Chloe blows a quick kiss towards the camera. _"Bye."_

When sleep doesn't come after an hour of tossing and turning, Beca gets up, takes a (cold) shower and decides to get a start on making breakfast.

By seven, the time her roommates usually get up to get ready for work, a teetering mountain of pancakes, bacon strips and scramble eggs are waiting on the table, along with fresh coffee and orange juice.

Both Jesse and Stacie falter in the doorway upon taking in the uncharacteristic sight.

"So, can I have Chloe's number to personally thank her for making a decent human being out of you?" Jesse mumbles through a mouthful of pancakes a few minutes into the feast.

"Gross." Beca mutters from her spot against the counter, nose scrunching up. "And no, you may not. I'm going to try and keep her clear from you two weirdos as much as possible."

"Told you she was still the same grumpy short-stack," Stacie directs to Jesse, grinning into her mug as her eyes cut to Beca, who is nursing her own cup. "She's just a grumpy short-stack in _love_ , now."

Beca purses her lips, pushing off the counter. "Wow, this is the first and last time I'm cooking breakfast for you ungrateful jerks."

"No, Becaw," Jesse whines with a pout. "We love you! And we're very glad you finally met someone."

"Yeah, it was not healthy to be sexually inactive for as long as you did."

"Oh my God," Beca's eyes roll to the ceiling. Somehow, she can't find a reason to contradict her, because sex with Chloe definitely did wonders to her state of mind. It's been about twenty-four hours and she's already experiencing some sort of withdrawal. "Please shut up."

Jesse chuckles. "Seriously though, your story with Chloe is totally rom-com material. Can I like, use it as inspiration for a script?"

Beca pulls a face. "Absolutely not."

She never thought she would be that girl whom she once rolled her eyes at in those romantic comedies Jesse convinced her to watch back in the day.

The girl that falls in love nearly at first sight and lets herself be swept in the romance of it all; the wine, the food, Paris, and well... the guy's (girl's in her case) undeniable charm.

Yet, here she is, helplessly in love with that girl and achingly waiting for the next time she gets to see her again.

/

An unexpected wave of heat washes over New York at the start of September and reduces Beca into a puddle each time she has to go out.

She spends most time in the studio, where the AC is working, unlike in the bachelor pad she shares with her two roommates.

"Please tell me the guy called back," Beca whines the second she steps through the door. She can see the top of Stacie's head sticking out from over the back of the couch.

"Nope, nada, zip. Tried calling again five minutes ago," Beca groans, dragging her feet to the living room.

"Ugh. I'm getting a hotel room for tonight."

Plopping unceremoniously onto the leather surface (which is probably not a good idea in hindsight, as she might just end up getting stuck to it), Beca lets out a sigh and allows her eyes to slip shut.

"Long day?" Stacie mumbles around the lollipop in her mouth.

Beca hums, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling. "This album is slowly dragging me to my grave. Is sleeping still a thing?"

"Aw," Stacie lets out sympathetically. Out of the corner of her eye, Beca sees her lean over to reach for something on the coffee table. "This might make you feel better. Arrived from France today."

An item is set on her stomach and Beca frowns, craning her head to take a better look at the package. Sure enough, she recognizes Chloe's cursive in the addresses. She smiles and sits up in a flash.

"I'll see you later," she lets Stacie know as she rises from the couch in direction of her bedroom. She tosses the package onto her bed and changes into something more comfortable than the denim shorts sticking to her skin, before settling down on the mattress and ripping the cardboard open.

Pulling the contents out, Beca eyes the framed photo and the note stuck on the glass.

 _Thought you would like to see how the assignment you gave me turned out ;)_

 _Love,_

 _Chloe_

Smiling, Beca un-sticks the paper to take a better look at the black and white photograph. The main subject, just off center of the picture, is a street musician playing the cello. His head is tilted back slightly, eyes shut as he plays. His bound with the instrument and passion for music are undeniable even through the frozen frame. The movement around him almost distracting; blurry silhouettes zipping by the musician without paying much attention.

Chloe's watermark is tucked in the right bottom corner.

Beca lies back against her mattress and grabs her phone to text Chloe and thank her for her gift. She's surprised when Chloe calls her just a few seconds later.

"Hello?"

" _Hi babe,"_

"Hey," Beca replies as she traces her fingers over the picture back and forth. "Thank you for the picture. I love it."

" _You're welcome. I was wondering when you would receive it,"_ Beca can hear the smile in Chloe's voice and it spreads one onto her own face.

"How come you're up? Isn't it, like, one a.m. over there?"

" _Yeah, but I couldn't sleep. I've been looking at flights."_

Beca pauses before she gets too hopeful. "Flights for New York?"

" _Yeah."_

Beca's heart does a tiny somersault.

" _I'm going back to Florida around Christmas to spend it with my folks, and I thought I could come visit you just before. Would that be okay?"_

A little bit more than three months from now. That seems so far away, but Beca knows time will fly as she finishes her album and prepares its release.

"Is that even a valid question?" Beca smiles. "Of course it is. You'll love New York in the winter."

" _I'm sure I'll love New York just because it has you."_

Beca snickers. "Corny."

" _Eh,"_ she can picture Chloe shrugging. _"I'll book it later, it's not every day I get to have you on the phone."_

Beca winces; they haven't been able to talk on the phone in the last week because of her busy schedule and their conflicting hours.

"I know, I'm sorry. The album is kicking my ass."

" _I didn't say that to make you feel guilty, Bec,"_ Chloe says softly, and Beca hears shuffling in the background. _"How is it shaping up?"_

"Okay. We're canning the vocals throughout next week."

" _That's good. Are you surviving? Drinking enough water and getting eight hours of sleep?"_

Beca rolls her eyes, even though it's useless as Chloe can't see it. "Yes, mom."

Chloe giggles through the phone. _"More like your concerned girlfriend."_

Beca wonders when the butterflies will stop waking up at the mention of _girlfriend_. For now, they are still out of control and flapping away relentlessly every time Chloe calls her her girlfriend.

She is about to reply when the music in the background is a tune she knows all too well, because she came up with it.

"Are you listening to my album?"

" _Yes?"_ Chloe says somewhat bashfully. _"I was missing you and put a song on. That was eight songs ago."_ She laughs awkwardly. _"Is that weird?"_

"No, it's not weird. I've been staring at your picture for the last fives minutes. I feel like I'm closer to you just looking at it, because it has your signature all over it." Beca smiles and closes her eyes briefly, burrowing her body deeper in the mattress. "I can picture you lighting up when you caught sight of that cello player, snap several pictures, then frown at the viewfinder because you don't really like any of them but in the end it turns out amazing, because it always does."

Beca is met with uncharacteristic silence on the other end, to the point where she pulls her phone away from her ear to make sure the call hasn't cut off.

"Chloe?"

" _Sorry, I... I just,"_ Chloe sighs. _"I really miss you."_

Beca smiles sadly and picks at a loose thread from her tank top. "So do I."

Chloe clears her throat, like she's not trusting her voice to work properly. _"What are you doing?"_

Beca grunts, having almost forgotten about the insufferable temperature she is trapped in. "Attempting not to melt."

" _That bad, huh? AC still not repaired?"_

"No," Beca whines. "I'm down to a tank top and underwear and I'm still too fucking hot to function."

There's another beat of silence on the other end of the line, this time heavier, followed up by a deep inhale, and then more silence.

"You okay?"

" _Oh don't give me that concerned tone, you minx. You know exactly what you're doing."_

Beca laughs, splaying her free hand onto her covered stomach. What she said wasn't meant to sound sexy, just a plain description of how she was feeling. Playing her words back to herself, she realizes she would melt into a puddle (well, a bigger one) if Chloe said the same thing about herself.

The sexy pictures Chloe slipped inside her suitcase without her knowing pretty much had that effect when Beca stumbled upon them as she unpacked.

"Are you, like, turned on?"

" _Yeah."_ The blunt answer makes Beca's breathing hitch. _"Imagining you all sweaty, clothes clinging to your body will do the trick. Add that to a month without that mind-blowing sex and you'll have me squirming... which is what's happening right now."_

Beca gulps, images of that particular scenario working their way into her already reeling brain.

"Mind-blowing?" She echoes to make sure she heard correctly.

" _Mmm. Best I've ever had."_

Beca's eyes widen. If her body felt slightly hotter than before until now, it just burst into flames.

"Do you..." she flushes at her own question and takes a discreet, shallow breath. "Do you want to do more than imagining?"

More silence, stunned this time, broken seconds later by a throaty moan that makes Beca shiver.

" _Shit, Beca. Are you serious?"_

Beca feels her heartbeat pick up to reach an uncontrollable pace. She's afraid Chloe might hear it through the phone, given how loudly it drums into her ears. Desire trickles down to form a pool in the pit of her abdomen.

"Yes?" she offers skeptically, wincing at how awkward she sounds. "I don't – I've never actually done it before."

" _What, phone sex?"_

Beca thinks she might just die from mortification. Or arousal. Or both. "Yes. That."

" _Well, are you comfortable to try? It's totes fine if not."_

If Beca wasn't abruptly so turned on, she'd smile at Chloe's kindliness. But it's been a _month_. Thirty freaking days since Chloe's hands were last on her; so she'll take what she can get.

And she knows for a fact Chloe's voice coupled with thorough imagination will do the trick.

"Fuck, yeah. _Yes_. Yes, I am."

" _Baby,"_ Chloe's tone drops down a notch, giving away how aroused she is. Beca swallows again. _"I wish it was your hands on me right now."_

Well, fuck. Chloe isn't beating around the bush. Then again, she rarely is when it comes to... everything.

"Are you," Beca's tongue suddenly feels to big for her mouth. Her fingers curl into her shirt to keep from drifting south. "Are you touching yourself?"

" _Mmm,"_ Chloe hums in the affirmative. _"Just my boobs,"_ she fucking _giggles_ and follows up with, _"for now."_

Beca vividly remembers how Chloe's breasts felt, full and smooth in the palm of her hand. The throb between her legs considerably intensifies as she lets her eyes slip shut and that hand slide down until it's resting over her underwear, completely still.

"I wish I was the one touching them," she murmurs, feeling the nerves gradually peel off her body and dissipate in the thick air around her.

" _What would you do?"_

Beca shudders at Chloe's breathy timbre.

"I would curl my hand around it, relishing the way it fits perfectly in my palm," her hand drifts lower and she's now cupping herself, exhaling shakily at the bolt of lust it shoots down her spine. "Then I would squeeze gently, before running my thumb over your nipple. Then I would swirl my tongue around it and take it into my mouth."

" _Bec,"_ Chloe's broken whimper takes things to another level. Beca's fingers start to move over the drenched fabric of her panties, hips arching off the bed in search of more friction. _"Are you touching yourself?"_

"Y-yes."

" _Fuck."_

A guttural sound leaves Beca's parted lips. "If you keep cursing like that I won't last long, Chlo."

There's a pause at the end of the line. _"You like it when I curse?"_

Beca can picture Chloe biting her lip. "Fuck, yeah. That and you speaking French. Biggest turn-ons."

The only thing Beca can register over the next handful of seconds is her panting breaths, matching the ones echoing on the other end of the phone.

" _J'aimerais que ce soit moi en train de te toucher,"_ Chloe starts bluntly, and Beca is slightly concerned about yet another wave of heat washing over her. She might just not make it through the evening. _"J'aimerais sentir tes mains sur ma peau et tes lèvres contre les miennes."_

"Jesus Christ."

The next thing that happens seems to unfold in slow motion. Beca registers the knock at the door way too late, and then said door flying open.

"Hey Beca, have you seen my- Oh my god!"

"Dude!" she shouts, her hand flying away to anywhere else besides between her legs, while the other one lets go of the phone pressed to her ear in shock.

"Shit," Jesse mutters, his own hand scrambling up to cover his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I'll be, um,"

"Get out!"

"Right," Jesse utters, hitting the frame of the door as he blindly backs up, while Beca is already looking for an object to chuck at his head. "Sorry."

When the door finally closes, Beca buries her face into her hands and groans.

" _Beca?"_

"Shit," Beca mutters as she grabs her phone from where she dropped it on the mattress. "Sorry."

" _Are you okay?"_

"No. I'm about to painfully die from mortification. Jesse walked in and my hand was... well, you now where my hand was."

She expects some sort of sympathetic reassurance from her girlfriend, but only a cackling sound comes from the end of the line.

"Chloe, this isn't funny! My _ex_ just walked in on me _masturbating_ while on the phone with my girlfriend. This is a _nightmare_!"

" _I'm sorry,"_ Chloe lets out a giggle but it's cut short, by her biting on her lip, Beca guesses. _"I'm sorry."_

Beca only lets out a string of huffed grumbles in response.

" _Soooo, I guess the phone-sex thing is a no go for tonight?"_

"Yeah, I'm not too much in the mood anymore."

She knows damn well her pout can be heard in the petulant tone of her voice.

" _Beeeec,"_ Chloe whines. _"Don't be mad, please, I really didn't mean to laugh."_

"I'm not mad at you. I'm going to kill Jesse, though. What's the point of knocking if you don't wait for authorization to come in?"

Chloe chuckles. _"Okay, well, you go deal with that, I'm going to... deal with myself."_

Beca gapes. " _Seriously_?"

" _Mmm."_

As much as Beca wants to, she really can't now that she knows Jesse knows. She lets herself plop on the mattress dramatically.

"Ugh."

" _I'm kidding, baby. I'm going to sleep. And I'll buy my flight tomorrow, K?"_

Beca huffs again, before smiling. "Okay. Love you."

" _Love you, too. Bye."_

After taking a few minutes to compose herself so she doesn't do something that might get her arrested, Beca slips on some shorts and stomps out of her room.

"Jesse Swanson, I'm going to _strangle_ you!"

/

With canning her vocals and producing her album and other artists' at the same time, time does fly. She and Chloe talk on a regular basis, trading messages during the day when they can and calling each other at least once a week. Friday nights are Skype date nights.

They randomly send each other little somethings here and there; flowers, take-out and even snail mail. Jesse told Beca it was underrated and Chloe would love it.

Sure enough, Chloe swooned when she received a letter from Beca mid-October, and Beca made a note to herself to ask Jesse for more advice from time to time, because he seems to have a degree in romance.

Their second attempt at phone-sex is more successful. Beca waits until she has the apartment to herself one night and locks her bedroom door as well, just in case. It releases some of the tension bottled up over the last six weeks spent apart.

The month of December is hectic with Beca finishing her album and making her debut on talk-shows to promote it when it comes out in January, a month after the planned date.

 **Chloe [12:45 PM]**

 _So I hear you're taken, huh? Who's the lucky one? :p :p_

Beca laughs as she reads the message. She's going to be stuck in the make-up chair for an hour and could use some entertainment. She guesses Chloe is referring to her interview with Meyers a week ago, who grilled her about not being single anymore.

Beca didn't share anything more than the fact that she was in a happy relationship and was thankful when the host didn't pry.

 **Beca [12:46 PM]**

 _Yeah, there's this obnoxiously bubbly redhead that I can't seem to shake._

 **Chloe [12:46 PM]**

 _Ugh, the worst._

 **Chloe [12:46 PM]**

 _But I hear she's great in bed ;)_

Beca laughs and shakes her head.

 **Beca [12:46 PM]**

 _Yeah, she's alright. Very humble, too._

 **Chloe [12:47 PM]**

 _:p_

 **Chloe [12:47 PM]**

 _Are you at the studio?_

 **Beca [12:47 PM]**

 _No. About to go on Stephen Colbert._

 **Chloe [12:47 PM]**

 _* GASP * IT'S TODAY!_

 **Chloe [12:48 PM]**

 _I love him! Say hi for me? :)  
_

Beca makes a note to get Chloe a shirt from that show, too, since she already got an extra one from Seth Meyers. And maybe have Colbert record a message for her.

 **Chloe [12:48 PM]**

 _And send me a pic of your cute face :) :) :)_

 **Beca [12:49 PM]**

 _You're awfully demanding._

 **Chloe [12:49 PM]**

 _Yep, I'm a very high-maintenance girlfriend. Thought you had figured that out by now. ;)_

Beca has never been one for selfies, but she's had to work with that since this long-distance relationship thing works through screens only. She isn't anywhere close to get to Chloe's level and send her dirty pics, though. She doesn't mind (read: digs) receiving the ones from Chloe, though.

Her hair is curled around rods and she's got dark circles under her eyes because the make-up artist hasn't done his magic yet, but she complies anyway and snaps a quick picture of herself.

 **Chloe [12:48 PM]**

 _Adorable 3_

Beca rolls her eyes but her cheeks warm up over the compliment.

 **Chloe [12:49 PM]**

 _Stop blushing :p_

 **Chloe [12:50 PM]**

 _Look, I made a new friend :D_

There's a picture attached of Chloe holding a puppy to her chest. The puppy is licking her chin while Chloe laughs and Beca's heart flutters in her chest because her girlfriend looks absolutely radiant.

Beca looks up when her hair stylist walks into the room and sends her a quick smile in greeting, turning back to her phone the following second.

 **Beca [12:50 PM]**

 _Cute._

 **Beca [12:50 PM]**

 _Is it weird that I'm jealous of that pup?_

 **Chloe [12:51 PM]**

 _Don't worry babe, I'll let you lick me next time._

Beca chokes on her saliva. Literally. She gets into a coughing fit that has her team rushing to her in concern. She drinks some of the water extended to her and tells them she's fine.

 **Beca [12:53 PM]**

 _Fucking hell, Chlo._

 **Beca [12:53 PM]**

 _You nearly killed me._

 **Chloe [12:53 PM]**

 _Sorry?_

 **Beca [12:54 PM]**

 _Yeah, right. I can see your Cheshire grin all the way from here._

 **Beca [12:54 PM]**

 _Where are you anyways?_

 **Chloe [12:54 PM]**

 _At Aubrey's. We're about to go to that fashion show wrap party._

The best friend. Aubrey works in fashion and was traveling the world for her job during the summer, so Beca didn't meet her, but heard a lot of stories from Chloe and saw pictures around Chloe's apartment.

Beca frowns, re-reading Chloe's last text message.

 **Beca [12:55 PM]**

 _Fashion show wrap party?_

 **Chloe [12:55 PM]**

 _Yeah, I told you about it the other day :)_

Beca doesn't remember that. She thinks she would remember if Chloe told her she was going to a party reeking with insanely gorgeous people.

 **Beca [12:56 PM]**

 _I don't think you did._

 **Beca [12:56 PM]**

 _So like, a party with models?_

 **Chloe [12:56 PM]**

 _Yeah_

Beca hates it, but it's definitely jealousy trickling down her veins. The insecurity she's managed to tame down over the last few months is suddenly back and thriving. She sets her phone in her lap and flexes her fingers several times to try and shake that feeling off, because she knows she's being ridiculous.

It doesn't help that three people are now surrounding her to work their magic. She's always been wary about people working so close in her personal space but has learned that it comes with the industry. Right now, though, it makes her breathing hitch unpleasantly.

Her phone chimes again after three minutes of radio silence on her part. She knows Chloe is onto her.

 **Chloe [1:00 PM]**

 _Beca_

 **Chloe [1:00 PM]**

 _Can I call you?_

 **Beca [1:01 PM]**

 _Now is not a good time. I'm being poked around by three different sets of hands._

 **Chloe [1:01 PM]**

 _Oh, okay._

Beca takes a deep breath and slowly releases it, berating herself for snapping.

 **Beca [1:03 PM]**

 _I'm sorry. I just, feel insecure?_

She quietly groans when she realizes she's pressed send. Opening that door is never a good idea.

 **Beca [1:03 PM]**

 _Ugh, never mind. It's stupid. Forget I said anything._

 **Chloe [1:03 PM]**

 _Baby_

Beca finds it both unsettling and amazing how such a simple word takes some of the anguish away. She imagines Chloe saying it with that soft voice and concerned eyes. The ache in Beca's chest to see her reaches a suffocating size.

 **Chloe [1:04 PM]**

 _It's not stupid. I'd rather you tell me these things than keep it to yourself._

 **Chloe [1:04 PM]**

 _Why do you feel insecure? Because of the models?_

 **Beca [1:04 PM]**

 _Ding, ding, we've got a winner._

Beca screws her eyes shut before shooting Chloe another text.

 **Beca [1:05 PM]**

 _Sorry. I'm being a bitch._

 **Chloe [1:05 PM]**

 _I don't care about them or this party, you know. If I could, I'd rather be with my gorgeous, insanely talented and sexy girlfriend in NYC. I'm like, crazy in love with her and my favorite place to be is wherever she is._

Beca puffs out a breath and lets her shoulders drop. Ridiculous, indeed.

 **Beca [1:05 PM]**

 _You're only saying that because I'm going on Colbert :p_

 **Chloe [1:05 PM]**

 _Busted._

 **Chloe [1:06 PM]**

 _Seriously though_

 **Chloe [1:06 PM]**

 _You believe me, right?_

 **Beca [1:06 PM]**

 _Yeah. I'm sorry for being... me._

 **Chloe [1:06 PM]**

 _Stop it right now_

 **Chloe [1:06 PM]**

 _Do I need to get on a plane and knock some sense into you?_

 **Chloe [1:07 PM]**

 _Never apologize for feeling things._

 **Chloe [1:07 PM]**

 _I love you. Go be amazing on national TV. Can't wait to see it._

 **Beca [1:07 PM]**

 _I love you too. I can't wait to see you in two short weeks._

 **Chloe [1:08 PM]**

 _Squeeee :D_

Beca chuckles to herself and lets out a sigh.

Two weeks.

 _/_

Beca is trying to concentrate on the music she's listening to, she really is. She went on a talent hunt for the label and now has some new song samples to listen to make a selection out of the fifteen contestants.

The thing is, Chloe is getting here in about seven hours (who is she kidding, in exactly six hours and fifty-three minutes) and her mind is set on red curls, cerulean blues and cute dimples, not figuring out if this girl from a small town in Ohio has more potential to become the country's new rising star than the boy with the raspy voice she listened to just before.

Her phone lights up with a next text from Chloe that won't make things any easier.

 **Chloe [11:36 AM]**

 _On my way!_

 **Chloe [11:36 AM]**

 _3 3 3_

Focusing more than five seconds in a row is impossible after that, to the point where Beca considers going for a run to shake off the sudden rush of energy her body is experiencing.

"Would you simmer it down? I can't concentrate," Stacie grumbles from her spot at the dinner table an hour later.

"Simmer what down?" Beca asks, brow furrowed in confusion from where she's sitting on the couch. Her knee stops bouncing momentarily. "I'm not doing anything?"

Rolling her eyes, Stacie laughs, then goes back to ticking things off on the form she's filling out.

"Your excitement. I can feel it from here. I know Chloe's getting in in a few hours, and if you really just can't tame it down, go to the airport and camp out there or something."

Beca grins sheepishly, falling back against the couch cushions with a frustrated sigh. "Sorry, I'm just eager."

"Eager to have sex again? Yeah, I know the feeling."

"Ugh," Beca grunts and straightens. That's it, she's going to the airport. This waiting thing is testing her, her whole body feels electrified and she feels like she needs to pace, or something. "Can you at least try to tame it down when Chloe's here? The constant sex talk and embarrassing me?"

"Fine." Stacie pouts exaggeratedly as Beca puts on her shoes. "Did you make a sign?"

Beca straightens, brow furrowed. "What sign?"

Stacie grins. "Well one that says Chloe's name with a bunch of hearts around it."

"I'm _not_ doing that."

Stacie's shrug makes her doubt. "Suit yourself."

Beca worries her bottom lip in thought. "Should I?"

Stacie hums and goes back to ticking. "You did want to sweep her off her feet right?"

"Yeah, but isn't that like, super lame?"

" _I_ don't think so."

Beca huffs. "I really can't tell if you're fucking with me or not. I'm gonna go with yes, and besides, the airport will be reeking with paparazzi and I don't need pictures of me with a sign with fucking hearts."

"You're no fun."

"Yeah, I'm the _worst."_ She grabs her coat, keys and waves at Stacie on her way out. "Bye, weirdo."

Several hours later, after spending sometime in the studio to try and occupy herself some more, Beca pushes her way through the crowded space outside of baggage claim (sign-less), her heart hammering in her ears as her eyes squint to try and spot Chloe in the distance.

She sees Chloe before Chloe sees her.

She looks adorable with her gray beanie screwed on her head and her face half-hidden in her woolen scarf.

Her eyes are also restless and hopeful to catch a glimpse of Beca. When they do, they light up like twinkling stars and Beca lets out a watery laugh, her legs mindlessly carrying her the rest of the way until she meets Chloe in a bone-crushing embrace.

Chloe laughs into her neck, wrapping an arm around Beca's shoulders as Beca's slip past her open coat and wind around her waist. Beca's heart settles down into her chest and her lungs soar, as though finally getting the oxygen she's been deprived off since she got into that plane home four months ago.

"I've missed you," she breathes into Chloe's scarf, her shoulders dropping with a content sigh when Chloe's hold tightens around her.

They remain laced there for long minutes, wrapped in their own bubble and oblivious to the Christmas time hustle and bustle of JFK airport going on around them. Eventually, Beca backs away and almost leans in to kiss Chloe, her brain momentarily fuzzy and forgetful about the paparazzi lurking near the doors.

Catching her slight hesitation, Chloe gives her an understanding smile and says, "It's alright. I haven't kissed you in four months, I think I can make it until we get to your apartment if it means getting more privacy."

"Okay," slipping her gloved hand into Chloe's bare one, Beca shrugs on Chloe's carry-on and leads her towards the exit and into the freezing December air. Her car chirps alive when they near closer and she lets go of Chloe to run ahead and open the passenger door for her.

"After you," Beca says cheekily, gesturing towards the inside of the car with a flourish.

"Thanks, baby," Chloe replies with a wink and a playful curtsy. After lifting Chloe's suitcase in the trunk along with her carry-on, Beca jogs around the car and slides in. Chloe is already fiddling with the radio, and it has Beca stifling a laugh. "What?"

"Nothing," Beca murmurs, locking her fingers onto Chloe''s once she's pulled the car into drive and Chloe has found something she likes. "I just can't believe you're here."

Chloe leans across the console and presses her lips to Beca's cheek, rubbing her nose in the nook of her cheek. "Me either, but I'm so happy to be."

The five stories seem never-ending when they get into Beca's apartment building. Beca's whole body is strumming with eagerness and slight apprehension of being close to Chloe after so long. Sliding the key into the lock, Beca pushes the door open, a little nervous as to what that unveils.

She hopes her two roommates are not standing in the living-room grinning like two fucking idiots to formally introduce themselves to Chloe.

Instead, she finds a paper bag adorning her favorite Chinese place logo on the table and a note stuck to it. Beca shares a confused look with Chloe and walks to the table.

 _We hope Chloe likes Chinese, too. Enjoy the apartment to yourselves, lovebirds!_

Beca recognizes Jesse's handwriting and smiles at the thoughtfulness behind it. Her eyes skim to the next sentence, no doubt from Stacie.

 _PS: use protection! ;)_

Slender arms snake themselves around her waist, Chloe propping her chin over her shoulder, snickering as she reads the note.

"That's nice of them," she muses, angling her head into Beca's neck to press her lips against her warm skin. Giving it to a shudder, Beca remembers they haven't had a proper reunion kiss yet, and spins into Chloe's arms, draping hers over her shoulders. Chloe squeezes her waist, her smile reaching her blue orbs. "Hi,"

Eyes flicking back and forth between Chloe's to her lips, Beca slides one hand along the back of Chloe's neck to hold her jaw and tug her down to meet her mouth. She hears Chloe inhale through just before their lips meet, and air surges into Beca's lungs at the realization that Chloe is really here and no longer thousands of miles away.

She is standing in Beca's living-room, her lips moving with Beca's with a sense of familiarity that anchors Beca down. They have each other memorized, no matter how long they have spent apart.

"God, I've missed you so much," Chloe whispers, nipping at Beca's bottom lip one last time before pulling away completely. Beca whimpers at the loss, chasing Chloe's mouth in another, this time shorter kiss. Chloe hums against her lips, smiling sheepishly. "We can heat up the food in the microwave, right?"

"Fuck, yes," Beca husks out, already tugging Chloe towards her bedroom, her squeal echoing down the hall.

/

Balancing several cardboard containers on a tray and a bottle of wine tucked under her arm, Beca pushes the door open with her shoulder and slams it shut with her foot once she's slipped inside her room.

Chloe is fiddling with Beca's computer to find something to watch while they eat, and Beca gets momentarily dizzy about the fact that there's this beautiful woman in her bed, only clad in one of her tees.

It's not like it's a regular occurrence for her, or an occurrence at all, to have a woman in minimal clothing in her bed.

Chloe's eyes slide up to meet hers. "Bec, are you okay?"

Beca blinks and clears her throat, nodding as she makes the rest of the way to the bed.

"Stole my shirt again, I see?" she teases, setting the tray with food down on the mattress.

"Is that a problem?" Chloe fires back, eyebrow arched as she sets up the computer in position.

"No," Beca murmurs, hand falling to the inside of Chloe's bare thigh. "Especially when that's _all_ you're wearing."

"Okay, tiger," Chloe chuckles, pulling away before Beca can kiss her. Beca pouts in disappointment. "As much as I would like to go all night, my mind is still five hours ahead and is screaming for food and then sleep. I want to be rested to make the most of your city tomorrow."

Beca grunts and dramatically flops back against the pillows in resignation.

Grinning, Chloe leans in to brush a light kiss on Beca's lips. No the kind of kiss she is craving, but she'll settle. "We're still doing that, right?"

"Sure, I can just drop you off at an hop-on, hop-off bus stop and pick you up five hours later," she deadpans, batting Chloe's hand away when she starts tickling her side.

"Bec," she whines, holding Beca by the hip and lightly biting her shoulder in reprimand.

"I'm kidding," Beca sighs, running her hand up and down Chloe's arm. "Don't complain when I make you fall in love with New York City to the point where you don't want to leave."

The playfulness in her tone disguises the longing in her heart. It's what she'd selfishly wish for, but she knows she could never ask that of Chloe; for her to abandon her dream in favor of her own, to abandon her life as she knows it and start anew to move across the ocean for Beca.

If she does and they somehow don't work out, Beca would never forgive herself.

Besides, they have only been together six _months_.

"Mm, now you've just set my expectations for this guided tour really high."

Beca smiles, hand drifting down to meet Chloe's and lazily waving their fingers together. "American food can't really compete with the awesomeness of French wine or French cheese so I feel like I'm starting off with a handicap, here."

"Well, I wish I could have smuggled some cheese in the territory but I guess you'll just have to come all the way to France to get some."

Beca gives in to a sarcastic eye-roll. "Ugh, the pain."

Chloe hums and dips in for another kiss. "I know, right? Nothing interesting there."

Beca's hand hikes up to cup Chloe's face, keeping her there for a moment longer. Chloe's body stirs into hers gently when the kiss grows longer, pinning Beca against the bed as Chloe moves to straddle her thigh. Beca wonders how she managed to do that without tipping over either the computer or the Chinese food resting between them.

Berating herself for asking herself trivial questions, she focuses on kissing Chloe back instead.

"What happened to just eating and sleeping?" Beca butts in between gentle tongue strokes when Chloe's hand greedily disappears underneath her shirt, a clear indication that this is bound to go further than just kissing.

"Changed my mind. Complaining?"

Beca grins against Chloe's lips, her own hands slipping past the waistband of Chloe's underwear to rest on her ass.

"I'll shut up now."

"Good answer."

/

Beca wakes up to chatter coming from the kitchen.

Mind still hazy with sleep and other things, she does wonder if Chloe was here last night or if it was a figment of her imagination when she pats at the spot next to her and comes up empty.

Chloe's shirt and pants laying discarded on the floor by the door (what? Four _months_ ) are concrete proofs that her girlfriend indeed flew in last night and is now in New York.

Her heart settling back in her chest after its two-second panicky ride, Beca remains in bed a moment longer, giving her mind and body time to wake properly. Chloe's unmistakable laughter drifting from the kitchen makes her smile.

She realizes just how thin the walls are in this apartment and is thankful for Jesse and Stacie leaving last night so she and Chloe could be alone and thoroughly... enjoy their reunion.

Eventually, she decides to leave the comfort of the warm cocoon to investigate about her girlfriend's whereabouts; hopefully far away from her roommates' shenanigans.

The scene that greets her when she steps into the kitchen is slightly unsettling. Chloe is cooking something that smells heavenly good at the stove while trading conversation with Stacie and Jesse as they sit at the table, each nursing a cup of coffee.

She doesn't know when they got in last night, and hopes it was once she and Chloe fell asleep because she's not sure she could look them in the eye ever again if they heard her while Chloe was going down on her.

"Hey, look who's up!" Jesse exclaims, face lighting up like a Christmas tree upon seeing Beca hovering by the doorway.

"Finally! Fell into a sex coma?" Stacie asks, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Which wouldn't surprise me given how vocal you were last night."

Well, there goes Beca's last bit of self-esteem. She really doesn't have the required amount of coffee to deal with these idiots.

"I'm moving out," she grumbles, making a beeline for the coffee machine and pours herself a cup. Sliding an arm around Chloe's waist, any ounce of grumpiness vanishes from Beca's body as she comes to a stop next to her and kisses Chloe's shoulder in greeting. "Morning."

"Morning, baby," Chloe says softly, turning her head for a kiss that Beca gladly grants her, flipping off her friends when a chorus of _aw's_ erupts from behind them.

"Alright creeps," Beca says when they break apart to find Stacie and Jesse staring at them with massive grins on their faces. "Show's over."

Backing away, Beca peers into the different pans. Bacon, eggs and pancakes.

Yep, this girl is definitely marriage material.

Beca nearly chokes on air and weakly scolds herself for letting her thoughts run away from the rational part of her brain once more.

"Why are you even feeding these idiots?"

Chloe shrugs. "They did leave us the place to ourselves last night, which was appreciated. And I was up early anyway. Jet-lag."

"We love her already," Stacie pipes up from her spot at the table with that same shit-eating grin. Beca turns around to face her roommates, cradling her cup of coffee. "And I'm still wondering how you managed to make her fall in love with your grumpy ass."

Smiling shyly, Beca meets Chloe's eyes and holds her gaze as she bumps her hip against Chloe's. "Yeah, I ask myself the same question every single day."

Dipping her head down, Chloe manages to hide her blush under her curtain of hair.

"Okaaaay, no eye-fucking over our food, please."

Chloe giggles and pecks Beca's lips before going back to her task at hand.

Beca stands there, watching the side of Chloe's face discreetly, as she in fact finds herself wondering how in hell she got _this_ lucky.

/

"Oh, baby, let's go ice skating!"

Beca's eyes follow Chloe's line of sight towards the outdoor ice rink nestled by the south entrance of Central Park. "Uh, no."

"Why not?"

"Because I suck at it?" Beca offers matter-of-factly. "And I don't think spending half-a-day in the emergency room is your idea of a romantic time in New York."

"You can hold onto me," Chloe says, turning on her heels to walk backwards and tug Beca along. "I promise I won't let you fall."

Beca wonders exactly how many more miles away from her comfort zone Chloe will make her go.

"Ugh, _fine_."

Minutes later, after triple-checking her laces, Beca stands on wobbly legs and waddles to the rink entrance, shooting Chloe a wary look. Gripping the edge of the gate, she steps onto the ice, standing as still as possible once both feet are on the slippery surface.

"Oh my gosh, it's like watching Bambi learn how to walk," Chloe comments, earning herself a glare.

"Hey, you promised not to make fun of me,"

"Nuh-huh, I said I wouldn't let you fall, not that I wouldn't tease," Chloe smirks, easily gliding to Beca and holding out her hands for Beca to take. "Lean forward a little bit so you don't put all your weight back and fall on your ass when your balance gets precarious."

"Okay," Beca takes a deep breath and lets Chloe lead her around the rink as she skates backwards, easily gliding past other people. Beca gradually relaxes with each lap, kicking the ice ever so often. "Okay, it's not _too_ bad."

"Told you. Wanna try on your own?"

"No!" She nearly shouts and grips onto Chloe's arms harder just in case Chloe does let her go without warning, drawing a few amused stares. Beca clears her throat and attempts to maintain a semblance of pride as she adds, more quietly, "No, I'd rather not."

"Okay, sorry," Chloe smiles and slows down to a stop, holding onto Beca's hips to keep her upright when she nearly collides into her. "Easy there, babe."

"Is there any other talent of yours I should know about?" Beca asks, feeling a tiny ounce of confidence peaking through as she manages to let go of Chloe's wrists to snake her arms around her waist without ending up with her ass on the ice.

"What happened to keeping a little bit of mystery?" Chloe replies, winking at her. "But no, not that I can think of."

"Good, cause I'm starting to feel under-skilled, here."

Chloe rolls her eyes good-naturally. "Says the girl behind America's future platinum album."

Despite the biting temperatures and the freezing breeze numbing Beca's limbs, Chloe's words, coupled with the unwavering admiration and faith dancing in her eyes manage to spread a blanket of warmth over her whole body.

"You've got to stop doing that," she mumbles, breaking eye-contact to try and reign in her flustering blush. "Showering me with compliments."

Chloe tilts her head to the side, eyebrows knit together. "Does that make you uncomfortable?"

Beca shrugs. She would gladly escape from that conversation but that would mean risking falling to her death.

"I just..." she sighs, letting her shoulders drop. "I'm not – I'm not used to it."

Chloe purses her lips and remains silent for a while.

"Did you mean what you said earlier? About wondering how I could fall in love with you? Were you serious about that?"

"I... I guess. We're so different you and I. You're this bubbly, beautiful, amazing woman and I'm awkward and asocial and grumpy most of the time. I know it's possible that opposites attract but still, it's... you're like, the definition of sunshine and I'm a rain cloud. It's sometimes... hard to wrap my head around the fact that I'm with you." Beca lets out a tiny laugh that lacks humor. "Or rather that you are with _me_ , of all people."

Chloe shakes her head, a fond smile playing at her lips. "You really have no clue of how incredible of a person you are, do you?"

Beca feels like the question is rhetorical, so she doesn't voice any reply.

"Bec," Chloe's tone if soft, almost inaudible. One gloved hand slides up from Beca's waist to rest on her cheek, the velvety material soft and warm as it brushes across her cold skin. "I fell in love with you because your grumpiness and awkwardness, or whatever else you want to believe are faulty, are actually very much endearing. I fell in love with you because you second guess most of the things you do in fear of messing up and end up outdoing yourself in the end."

Beca wasn't expecting a list; her breathing is starting to become shallow, especially because it doesn't look like Chloe is done enumerating things.

"I fell in love with you because you don't give a fuck about what people think about you. Because, underneath the mask you like to carry around in fear of getting hurt, there is a selfless, kind and beautiful soul."

Chloe falls silence, letting her words echo within Beca. And they do, with so much force that Beca thinks they might just knock her off her feet lest Chloe wasn't holding her around the waist.

"And I fell in love with the way you look at me, the way you listen to everything I say even though I talk a lot, but most specifically, because of the way you love me. Raw and untamed and whole," Chloe pauses, clearing her throat while Beca stumbles for breath. Chloe shrugs and lifts her gaze to meet Beca's. "I fell in love with you because since you came around, I'm the happiest I've ever been."

"Chloe," Beca whispers, eyes widening when tears pool inside Chloe's. Panic bubbles in her chest; she doesn't know how to deal with tears.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get all emotional on you," Chloe laughs, shaking her head again as she blinks her tears away. She clears her throat, the hand at Beca's waist squeezing her hip. "Do you believe me now?"

Beca nods. "I do. And I feel extremely grateful to be the person that makes you happy."

She doesn't care about who might see them. She leans in and pulls Chloe into a kiss; the kind of kiss that's slow and tender, but still ignites something in a part of her -her heart, her mind, whichever- and makes her float a few inches above the ground.

"And you know," Chloe's smile explodes into a wide, teasing grin. She rubs her pink nose against Beca's cold one. "I kinda like this whole, I'm the sunshine, you're a rain cloud imaginary. Because together, those two things make a-"

"Please don't say it."

"...a rainbow."

"Oh my _God_ ," Beca groans, letting her head fall back. "I need to get away from your sappy ass before you rub off on me."

"I don't think your sappiness has anything to do with me," Chloe smirks, dipping down to kiss Beca's lips quickly. She peels herself away, holding her hands up by her head. "Go for it, I'm not stopping you."

Accepting the challenge with a roll of her shoulders, Beca eyes the exit gate. It seems easy, especially when a kid that is knee-high to a grasshopper skids past her like he's been doing this his whole life.

"Want me to hold your hand?" Chloe asks after a stretch.

"Oh, shut up," Beca growls, then sighs dejectedly after a few seconds spent pondering on how serious the injuries could be were she to fall. "But yes, please. Get me off this death rink."

Chloe only laughs, pressing her lips to Beca's cheek endearingly.

Beca takes Chloe to the Met later that morning, and they spend most of the rest of their day there. Beca likes art, but to an extent, while it turns out Chloe loves it and drags Beca from room to room excitedly, even providing information on some of the pieces.

"Chloe, this is a _museum_ ," Beca hisses when Chloe tugs her into a secluded corner right next to a Greek sculpture. Chloe grins against Beca's lip, pinning her to the wall.

"I just want to kiss you," she murmurs, letting go of Beca's hips to sink her fingers in her dark hair and pulling her into a deeper kiss, one not exactly appropriate given their surroundings.

Beca is still creeped-out about making-out with all these stone naked dudes around them; she feels like they're watching them. She also lost track of the museum guard's whereabouts and is afraid he might spring up on she and Chloe and ask them to leave.

Which, in hindsight, wouldn't be such a bad thing.

"We could just go home and do more than kiss, y'know."

Chloe pouts. "But we still have to see the Egyptian Art room."

Beca swallows back a groan and presses her lips hard to Chloe's, rewarded with a particularly loud sound that echoes in the high-ceiling space. Either that guard is asleep, or deaf.

"Okay. Take your hands away from under my shirt, then."

Backing away, Chloe giggles and does just so. "Oops."

Beca rolls her eyes at Chloe's feigned innocence. "Yeah, _oops_."

She leans up to brush her lips against Chloe's once more, because she can't resist her. Chloe tangles her fingers with hers as they shuffle out of the room and into the next.

Darkness already fell on the city by the time they step out into the brisk cold. They stop to get hot dogs and eat them on a random step, huddled close to brave the biting temperatures. They catch the subway home, and it takes them double the time because Chloe stops at their connection to take pictures of the underground hustle and bustle and they miss the next three trains.

"Sorry," Chloe whispers into Beca's ear after the train doors close just before they can step on it. Smiling, Beca shakes her head to dismiss the apology and pulls Chloe along so that they are standing by the wall of the platform as opposed to near the train tracks. She rests against a pillar and tugs Chloe to stand with her back against her front, slipping her hands into the front pockets of Chloe's woolen coat.

"Love you," she breathes out into Chloe's neck, placing a kiss just below her ear before propping her chin on her shoulder. "Now show me those pictures that made us miss that train. They better be good cause I thought I would have you in bed by this time."

Laughing, Chloe raises the camera hanging from around her neck so that Beca can look at the screen, and starts to show Beca the array of pictures she took today. Most are from the last hour, some from the Met and a few of Beca in the street and riding the subway.

"How do you do that?" Beca asks. "Take pictures of me without me noticing."

Beca's hands slide away from Chloe's pockets and rest on Chloe's hips as she turns around.

"Well, it's kind of my job. As a street photographer, my goal is to capture people's expression without them noticing, because most of them are uncomfortable when it comes to being photographed."

"Yep, can vouch for that."

Chloe hums and drapes her arms over Beca's shoulders. "And if they do notice me, the raw, unfiltered emotion I was going for in the first place becomes strained. Emotion is beautiful, it's the essence of a photography and without it, the picture loses its meaning; its story."

They are probably bound to miss the next train, but Beca wouldn't dare interrupting Chloe. She doesn't want to, simply because it's still as enthralling hearing her talk about photography as the first time.

"So how do you manage to preserve the emotion during photo shoots, where people actually pose for photos?"

Beca spent a fair amount of time staring at the pictures of that homemade photo shoot back in Paris. It was weird, looking at herself without really recognizing the person staring back at her; she seemed more natural and carefree than in any other photo shoot.

"It's called being sneaky," Chloe says with a lopsided smile. Beca raises a questioning eyebrow. "I'm guessing you're referring to our photo shoot."

Beca nods, now even more intrigued than before. She figured her natural expressions came from the fact that she trusted Chloe, not because of a specific technique Chloe adopted without her noticing.

The train approaching has them both snap their heads but Beca tightens her hold on Chloe's hips.

"We can catch the next one," she says. "I want to hear about the being sneaky thing."

She's well aware they can talk on the train, but she doesn't want to stray away from their bubble.

"Okay," Chloe agrees with a small laugh, fingers playing an elegant dance on the back of Beca's neck. "I don't know if you've noticed in your pictures, but I know that the best ones are the ones I captured right _after_ the shot you were expecting. When you let go of that breath you were holding or relax that smile that may have been a little bit forced without you meaning to. The key is to snap the shot the moment your body falls into a more natural, relaxed state."

Beca hums. "I get it."

"A photographer can give their subjects direction all session long, nothing beats a natural pose. And sometimes, that can only be found during those "in between" moments. So I always try to anticipate the next move, before my subject gets there, to look for the natural beauty rather than the forced one."

Beca nods. "That makes a lot of sense. A lot of so-called photographers in the business could learn a lot from you."

Chloe shrugs. "Every photographer has their own technique. Mine has worked well until now and it taught me to read people better." Chloe rolls her eyes. "But I told you all about that already and I feel like I've been talking your ear off for the last ten minutes, so I'll shut up now."

Shaking her head, Beca pulls her flush against her and smiles. "I love hearing you talk about your passion. There's this spark in your eyes when you do that could light up a starless sky."

A tiny, drown-out whimper flits through Chloe's parted lips. She takes a deep breath and shakes off a shiver. Holding Beca's face with both hands, she closes the gap between them to capture Beca's lips in a kiss that leaves Beca lightheaded.

"God. I love you." Chloe's breathes out across Beca's mouth. She meets Beca's gaze, eyes darkened and intense, and Beca is the one to whimper this time. "Let's go home."

/

Beca rolls onto her side and finds Chloe standing by the window wearing one of her shirts. She looks amazing, hair disheveled from sleep, one arm around her waist and knee bent as she stares out the window.

"Hi," Beca rasps out, blinking the remainder of sleep away. Chloe's head twists towards her and they share a small, gentle smile.

"It's snowing," Chloe murmurs, turning her gaze back to the window. Shuffling out of bed, Beca comes to a stop behind her, arms loosely coming around her mid-section.

A thin blanket of white powder covers the street and the roads are uncharacteristically quiet; it's beautiful and calming, much like Chloe.

She lies a kiss on the back of Chloe's neck, breathing her left-over perfume and enjoying the warmth emitting off Chloe's body pressed against hers.

"I haven't had a proper snow day in a long time."

Laying a hand on top of Beca's on her stomach, Chloe turns her head slightly. "You think it'll snow enough for us to have a snowball fight? Oh, and build a snowman?"

Beca grins, nudging her nose against Chloe's before closing the gap to kiss her. A slow, languid kiss that wakes all her sense at once.

"Hmm," Beca rubs her lips together when they part, eyes half-lidded. "When I said snow day I was more thinking along the lines of going back to bed for the rest of the day."

Chloe arches a curious eyebrow. "And what would we do in there all day?"

"We could... build a pillow fort, get some snacks, cuddle and watch a movie."

"A movie _and_ cuddles?" Chloe twists into her arms, hand drifting up Beca's side to rest on her forehead. "Are you feeling okay, baby?"

"Haha, very funny," Sticking her tongue out, Beca peels herself away, catching Chloe's hand before she's out of reach. "C'mon, I'm starving."

Shortly after breakfast, the snowfall gets heavier. After putting on enough layers of clothing, they step outside, crossing the street to the park located across from Beca's building.

They make a snowman, lie down on the ground to make snow-angels, make-out a little in the snow, until Chloe sneaks some into Beca's collar and thus a snowball fight ensues.

Bodies shivering from the cold, they run up the five flight of stairs and barrel through the door in their haste to get warm, both breathless and flush.

"Ugh, I'm freezing!"

Shrugging off her coat, Chloe lets it pool onto the floor of Beca's bedroom, kicks off her shoes and starts to unbutton her pants.

"You were the one who insisted we should go outside," Beca reminds her, struggling with her numb fingers to unfasten her own jacket.

Chloe flashes her a bright smile. "No regrets!"

Shimmying out of her soaked jeans, Chloe then pulls her sweater over her head and jogs to the bed, slipping under the covers with a content sigh.

"Come warm me up," Chloe's voice is muffled by the comforter that she's pulled over her head.

"So demanding," Beca complains playfully. Chloe's head pops out from under the mountain of covers, bottom lip jutted out in the most adorable pout Beca has ever seen.

Holding out a hand, Chloe bats her eyelashes a couple times. " _Baby_."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Beca laughs lightly, taking off her shoes once she's managed to free herself from the five layers she put on to brave the cold.

She sinks into the mattress seconds later, letting Chloe pull the covers back over them before she melts into her body, drawing Chloe as close as physically possible.

"Much better," Chloe breathes into her neck, draping her arms over Beca's shoulder and a leg over her hip, hanging onto her like a koala to its tree trunk. It gets increasingly hot under the pile of blankets and Beca thinks she might experience a heat stroke soon, but she wouldn't change it for the world, especially when Chloe murmurs a, "Je t'aime."

Beca presses her smiling lips into Chloe's shoulder. "I love you, too."

/

Over the next couple of days, the snow turns into a heavy blizzard that shuts down most airports. The day before Christmas Eve, Chloe calls her parents to let them know she won't be spending Christmas with them this year.

Selfishly, Beca is thankful for the storm. She wasn't ready to say goodbye after just a week. A blissful week spent exploring the streets of New York, going places Beca has never been to before because she has never really taken the time to be a tourist in her own city, even after five years living here.

"Were they upset?" Beca asks when Chloe shuffles back into the kitchen after making the phone-call.

"A little bit. But they're glad I get to spend it with you."

Beca falters as she stands at the stove, attempting to make French toast. She sets her spatula down and turns around. "Your, um, your parents know about me?"

"Of course," Chloe replies lightly. She slips her hands into the pockets of her sweatpants and pads over to Beca, leaning back against the opposite counter. "It's not like you're kept a secret. My mom asks about you every time we talk over the phone and wonders when they get to meet you."

Beca's eyes grow to the size of saucers and she chokes on her saliva. "Meeting your parents? Like, in real life?"

Chloe giggles and steps closer, sliding her hand down Beca's arm to tangle their fingers and swing their now joined hands back and forth between their bodies. "That's usually what _meeting_ means."

Beca's eyes roll. "Thanks, smarty-pants."

Chloe sighs and squeezes her hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out. I'm just letting you know that they'd like to meet you, but it doesn't have to be anytime soon."

"I'm not freaked out," Beca counters, surprising herself the most. She curls her free hand around Chloe's hip and smiles. "Just surprised."

Chloe returns her smile, dropping it a second later when she glances over Beca's shoulder. "Your french toast is burning."

"Shit!" Beca hisses, rushing to take it out of the pan while Chloe cackles. "Hey, you should be the one making them, it's the meal of your people."

"It's _not_." Chloe laughs. "I didn't grow up on french toast. Especially not for _dinner_."

They spent the day lazing in bed and watching a sitcom as the storm raged outside, limiting their activities to lounging around Beca's apartment. Nighttime was already falling over New York City by the time they decided to get up and cook something.

"Besides," Chloe resumes, looping her arms around Beca's waist. "You're apparently more French than I am."

Beca hums, setting a piece of egg-soaked bread into the pan. "That's right, you're just a scam."

"Hey," Chloe pinches her waist, making her yelp and bat the offender away. "I still have the French citizenship."

"Okay, but you're still a crook. You not being French certainly takes away some of the romance of us meeting in France."

Chloe gasps, backing away while Beca snickers. "A _crook_! I played fair and square, you knew I was American from the start, so screw you Beca Mitchell."

Beca raises an eyebrow and turns around. "Is that something you plan on going through with? Cause I wouldn't be opposed."

Matching Beca's cocked eyebrow, Chloe tugs her flush against her to pull her into a heated kiss that leaves Beca craving for more.

"Maybe." She chuckles, "Dinner is burning again."

"Dammit!" Beca turns off the stove and groans, waving her hand dismissively. "Get away from me dude, I can't function when you're this close to me."

"Oh, it's my fault, now?" Chloe husks into her ear, her front pressing into Beca's back. Her hand slips beneath the material of Beca's _Ramones_ t-shirt to dance along her stomach while her lips drop to Beca's neck, leaving a trail of light kisses up to Beca's jaw.

"Y-yes," Beca murmurs shakily, grasping Chloe's hand before it can venture further south past the waistband of her cotton sweatpants. Chloe sheepishly grins into her neck at being caught. "Your libido is concerning."

"Says the girl who wanted me to 'screw her' a second ago."

"That's still the plan," Beca lets her know without missing a beat. "Let me just try and salvage dinner first."

She expects Chloe to make a joke about coming up with another type of dinner, but to her surprise, Chloe's heated embrace morphs into a sweet one. She presses a quick kiss on Beca's shoulder, then rests her chin over it.

"I'm really happy to be stuck in New York."

Beca's lips break into a smile as she covers Chloe's hand resting on her stomach with her own. She might be reassured that Chloe feels the same way.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I've never had a white Christmas before."

Turning in Chloe's arms, Beca tilts her head to the side. "You haven't?"

"Nope. Didn't snow in the South of France or in Florida, rarely does in Paris and never at Christmas time." Chloe kisses her for no reason, shortly, sweetly. "And getting a snowy Christmas with my favorite person is kind of magical."

Beca agrees; it's pretty magical.

/

"Bec,"

"No."

"Becaaaa,"

"Too early."

" _Baby._ "

"Need sleep."

"It's _Christmas_!"

Beca chances popping one eye open. The excited grin and sparkling orbs she's met with are nearly blinding.

"It's still dark outside," she grumbles, turning her head into the pillow as she lies on her stomach. Warm lips press a kiss to her cheek, then to her tattooed-shoulder and move towards her spine. Chloe is half-laying on top of her by the time Beca finally accepts her fate and rolls onto her back. "You're lucky I love you."

"I know," Chloe whispers, the ends of her hair tickling Beca's chest as she leans in to kiss her softly. There's a lack of playfulness in her tone that has Beca pondering on that for a while; the fact that Chloe feels lucky to get to be loved by someone like Beca.

It makes her heart swell in her chest to the point where it almost hurts.

She slides her hands up to Chloe's cheeks before she can pull away, moving her lips against Chloe's languidly. The kiss slowly pushes her mind into the light, her body coming to life with each stroke of Chloe's lips against hers.

Backing away, Chloe smiles and nuzzles her cheek. "Merry Christmas, Bec."

Beca lazily trails her fingers up Chloe's spine, closing her eyes briefly to bask in the comfort. The moment is so simple, yet Beca can feel it leave permanent fingerprints over her soul.

"Merry Christmas, love."

She manages to bargain ten more minutes of light slumber before Chloe's giddiness gets too contagious to ignore.

"I need you to let me up so I can get your present, babe."

Chloe attempts to tame down her squeal as she sits up. It comes out as a small squeak that has Beca stare are her adoringly and wonder how someone can be this cute.

"Right," she says after a beat when Chloe raises an eyebrow, silently questioning why Beca hasn't moved yet. "Presents."

Standing up, Beca throws on her sweatpants and a loose tee, and walks to her dressing to retrieve her gift from one of the drawers. It's messily wrapped because she didn't cut enough wrapping paper the first time and had to add an extra band to cover the bare part.

Beca frowns as she looks down at it. In hindsight, it really looks like a six-year-old wrapped the gift. She shuffles back to bed and plops down on the mattress, sitting cross-legged in front of Chloe.

"You go first," she says with a fond smile, pushing the gift into her hands. She wants Chloe to open hers now because she's afraid her girlfriend might burst from excitement if she has to sit through Beca unwrapping her gift, first.

And in all honesty, she can't wait to witness Chloe's reaction to hers.

Chloe doesn't say anything about the poor state of wrapping; she tears it in mere seconds, anyway. Beca feels her heart pick up in apprehension as Chloe lifts the lid of the cardboard box and peels off the paper covering the item.

Chloe freezes with her hand mid-air, her jaw dropping as she stares at the gift for a good five seconds, then glances at Beca, then back inside the box.

"Beca," her voice sounds far away, lost somewhere she can't reach. Looking up to meet Beca's eyes, Chloe blinks away the tears gathered in hers. "You remembered."

Exhaling discreetly in relief, Beca nods, her lips curving into a smile. "Of course I did."

It goes back to their time in the south of France. She and Chloe had stopped in a picturesque village to browse the market and the few shops. They had stepped into an antique shop called _La Caverne_ and Chloe had immediately been drawn to this old, strudy-looking camera behind the glass showcase.

A camera from the late eighteen hundreds, Chloe had told her as she examined the contraption with rapt attention. She couldn't afford it, and while Beca thought of offering to buy it for her that day, she was certain it would seem a little forward to spend $800 on a gift for a person she had known for only five days, at the time.

Chloe still has to pick up her jaw as she lifts the heavy camera from its box. "How did you even...?"

"Later that same day when we were browsing the market, I told you I had an important phone call to make that would last a little while?"

"Right,"

"Yeah, so that was a lie, I actually went back to the shop to buy it and asked it they could hold it for me and ship it at some point when I decided when I wanted you to have it."

"But that was... what, a week into us starting what we started?" Chloe asks, having a hard time to shake herself from her shell-shocked expression.

Beca nods. "And I didn't know where it would lead us so that's why I wanted to wait. I would have given it to you anyway, obviously, even if we had decided not to give this," she motions between their bodies. "a chance. I would have had it shipped to you after I left or..." she didn't have the opportunity to think it through, because thankfully things took another turn. "I don't know."

"But we decided to try this long-distance thing and I almost forgot about it until you told me you were coming for Christmas. I called the guy and asked for it to be shipped out here."

"Oh my god," Chloe shakes her head in awe, focusing back on her new, old camera. "I don't know what to say, I..."

Beca smiles and lies a hand over Chloe's leg. "Do you like it?"

"Do I _like_ it?" Chloe echoes with a teary laugh. "Baby, it's probably the most wonderful present anyone has ever gotten me. Not to mention expensive."

Pausing, Chloe frowns heavily, then delivers a light slap to Beca's arm.

"Hey, what's that for?" Beca laughs, keeping herself out of reach.

"You spent $800 on a gift for me!" Chloe cries out in bewilderment. "Are you crazy!?"

"Crazy in love with you," Beca replies smoothly, her thumb running over Chloe's knee. Chloe exhales slowly, shaking her head. "It was certainly a challenge, going back in there and explaining to the owner of the shop what I wanted to do. He didn't speak much English and I was afraid you would walk back in to look at the camera again."

"God, I can't believe you did this," Chloe mumbles, but the stubborn smile tugging at her lips indicates she's anything but mad at Beca. "But I love it. It's going to look great in the gallery."

Beca grins and leans forward to kiss her cheek. "That's what I thought, too."

With another sigh and a head-shake, Chloe pulls her into a quick kiss. "Thank you, sweetie."

Beca hums, smoothing a hand over Chloe's hair. "Merry Christmas, Chlo."

"So, um," Chloe starts after a minute admiring the object while Beca watched on fondly. "Do I _have_ to give you your presents? Cause I feel slightly self-conscious about them, now."

"You flew all the way out here to see me, babe," Beca laughs. "I think that present tops everything else." She pauses, pursing her lips as she replays Chloe's words. "Hold on. Presents? As in plural?" Beca sits back and furrows her brow. "But I only got you one."

"Oh, shut your face," Chloe glares, shoving her as Beca laughs lightly. "You got me a $800 present, you ass-hat."

"Keep it up with insults and I might just take my gift back," Beca playfully threatens.

"No," Chloe clutches the camera to her chest with a pout. "It's mine."

"Okay, gimme my presents," Beca demands, waving her hands towards herself. She tries not to stare too much when Chloe stands up in her tank top and underwear to rummage through her suitcase.

"Open this one first," Chloe says, extending an envelope to Beca as she settles back down in her spot. The other present, thin and rectangular -a frame, Beca is pretty sure- is tucked under her arm.

With one last glance to her girlfriend, Beca opens the envelope and takes out its contents. Tickets for a show, she knows without having to look, given the size and thickness of the paper.

"You got me tickets for David Guetta?" Beca asks quietly. "Like, _the_ David Guetta?"

Nodding, Chloe chuckles. "Pretty sure there's only one of those, baby."

"How did you even manage that? They must have been sold out ages ago!" Beca exclaims, nearly examining the ticket to make sure they are legit.

"I have some connections," Chloe offers cheekily. "It's in April, at the Stade de France. You think you can make it?"

Beca has always wanted to see David Guetta live, but never really had the opportunity. While she's excited, she's even more so now that she knows it means going to Paris.

"Yeah, I'll make sure I can. I love it," Beca kisses Chloe soundly. "Thank you."

Chloe hums in response and hands her the other present which, Beca can tell from her expression, Chloe is shyer about.

Beca tears the paper away and turns it around to find a black and white photograph of the two of them. While she's surprised to have never seen it before, she's even more surprised that neither of them was the one to capture the moment.

She knows from the surroundings and Chloe's flower-patterned dress that it's from her gallery inauguration in Toulouse. They are both standing in a corner, Beca's eyes trained on Chloe as Chloe tells her about one of her photographs hanging on the wall.

Her eyes stop taking in the picture as a whole to focus on herself. The look in her eyes in the suspended scene makes her heart ache even more than before; it bleeds with affection and love, even though she was unaware -or in denial- that she was already head over heels in love with Chloe at that time.

Swallowing, Beca then clears her throat to make sure her voice is steady. "Who took this?"

"A photographer friend of mine. At the end of the night, he told me we made a beautiful couple and I didn't really correct him, probably because that's what I wanted us to be. I didn't want you to be just a summer fling but I didn't have the guts to tell you that."

Beca nods, finding it difficult to tear her eyes from the photo and the compelling, intimate aura wrapped around their figures.

"I... It's..." Beca blows out a breath and finally looks up to find Chloe smiling at her. "I love it. I love _you_."

"I love you, too, Bec," Chloe murmurs, taking the frame out of her hands to set it to the side and move into her lap. She drapes her arms around Beca's neck, Beca's looping around her waist. "So, so much."

Beca laughs happily as Chloe peppers her face with a bunch of short kisses.

Christmas just might become her favorite time of the year if it means she gets to spend the next ones with Chloe.

/

Beca's heart feels particularly heavy when she wakes up the morning before Chloe's departure to the sound of a suitcase being zipped-up.

She knows she should feel grateful that she got to spend more time with Chloe than planned, but it doesn't make it easier to see her go.

Rolling on her back, Beca notes that Chloe is already showered and dressed. A glance to the alarm-clock tells her she has to leave for the airport soon. The ache in her chest starts getting greater and her breathing gets more difficult with each passing second.

"Oh, hi," Chloe murmurs as she stands up when she realizes Beca is awake. "I was just about to wake you up."

The only words on Beca's tongue are _don't go,_ but she painfully swallows them back before they can make the leap past her teeth. She doesn't want to call out the bitterness of the situation and end their beautiful time together on a sour note.

Beca eventually stands up and pads to Chloe. Not daring to say anything lest it's something as selfish as what nearly made it out of her mouth, she burrows herself into Chloe's body, arms slipping past the opening of her cardigan to snake around her waist.

Pressing a kiss to Chloe's pulse point, Beca buries her face into her neck and closes her eyes. She feels Chloe's throat bob up and down in a difficult swallow before her own arms wraps themselves around Beca's shoulders.

Chloe starts to sway gently from side to side and Beca lets out a teetering string of breath because Chloe is real, and while she's leaving today, she's not walking out of Beca's life. Beca chooses to focus on that rather than on the overwhelming pain in her chest and mind.

"I need to go, baby," Chloe says quietly, after maybe a few minutes, or half-an-hour, Beca can't be sure.

"I'm guessing you called a cab and you don't want me to drive you to the airport?" she questions as she slowly backs away, sliding her hands along Chloe's back until they curl around her hips.

"Yeah."

Beca grunts and closes her eyes. "Is it April, yet?"

Letting out a quiet giggle, Chloe kisses her lightly. "It's going to fly by."

"I know." Beca sighs. She hopes so, at least. "You better have that fridge stocked up with cheese when I get there cause I might want to stay cooped up in your place the whole time to get my Chloe-cuddles fix."

Chloe smiles affectionately, pushing a strand of disheveled hair out of Beca's face. "Do your fans know how much of a softie you are?"

"No. And I intend to keep it that way, Beale, so no posting compromising pictures online," she semi-jokes.

"Yes ma'am," Chloe says mockingly, but Beca knows she is aware she needs to respect that agreement if they want to keep their relationship away from the spotlight.

"Kiss me," Chloe requests quietly, the weight of her emotions visible in her troubled blues. Beca obliges, tilting her head up to kiss Chloe gently, slowly, as though to print the feeling in her mind for the time apart to come. A whimper escapes Chloe's mouth, but she pulls away before the kiss can skid out of control. "Okay."

Beca inhales sharply and steps away, gaze falling to the floor. "Right."

Chloe shrugs on her coat and puts on her shoes while Beca takes her small suitcase to the door. Chloe bids a quick goodbye to Jesse and Stacie who are hanging around in the living-room, then follows Beca down the stairs.

After a shorter embrace and a few more kisses, Chloe drives off, with a promise to text Beca when she lands in Paris and call her the following morning.

Beca slowly climbs up all five flights of stairs, the tears she's managed to keep at bay until now growing more insistent with each step. Opening her front door, she slips through the space and closes it behind her, laying her forehead against the wood to try to bypass the oncoming storm of feelings unleashing in her chest.

The first tear falls down her cheek, followed by bolder ones. She tries to breathe through them, closing her eyes to focus on anything else but the images of Chloe floating in her mind.

Once she's more or less composed herself, Beca turns around and walks to the couch, settling down between Jesse and Stacie and drawing their attention away from the TV.

"So, um, I'll kill you if you tell any of our friends about this but," Beca stops to bury the sob itching to get out and glances briefly to her right to Stacie, then to her left to Jesse. "I could really use a hug right now."

They both barrel into her as soon as the sentence is uttered and Beca laughs tearfully, their tight embrace warm and healing.

"We love you," Stacie whispers into her hair, dropping a kiss on her head. "Even if you're a pain in the ass, sometimes."

"Yeah," Jesse agrees quickly. With what, Beca isn't sure. "And April is going to be there before you know it."

Her phone chimes in the pocket of her sweatpants and Beca bats her two friends away to be able to reach it. It's unsurprisingly from Chloe.

Sliding her thumb across the screen, the message opens up to a photo. It's the selfie they took inside the cab on their way to see _Anastasia_ on Broadway. Beca is grinning at the camera as Chloe kisses her cheek.

 **Chloe [10:03 AM]**

 _A bientôt, mon amour 3_

Beca takes a deep breath to avoid another meltdown and feels Stacie bump her shoulder with her own.

"Wanna be left alone or watch the stupid flick Jesse picked out?"

"Hey!" Jesse berates weakly from Beca's other side.

Clearing her throat, Beca reaches out to pat her cheeks dry. "A movie sounds nice."

"Sweet, I'll go make the pop-corn." Jesse announces, springing to his feet.

"And I'll get the alcohol," Stacie says in turn, following after him.

Beca chuckles and draws her knees in to tuck them into her chest, the realization of how lucky she truly is to be surrounded by such amazing people spreading warmth over her whole body. She takes a smiling, teary-eyed selfie and sends it to Chloe.

 **Beca [10:05 AM]**

 _See you soon, love._

/

"Hello?"

" _Hi."_

Beca freezes mid-step, her blood running cold at Chloe's tearful tone. She's on her way home from her album release party. It's pushing on four am and all she wants to do is curl into a ball in her bed and sleep off the next three days.

Mid-way up to her apartment, a phone-call from Chloe went through.

"Chlo? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I... your album came through the mail today."

"Oh," Beca lets out and spins around to sit on the top-step of the third story. Her heart starts beating faster in apprehension of getting Chloe's feedback. She didn't want her to listen to it before it was completely done, because it _had_ to be perfect.

It had to reflect the muse behind the lyrics. And as far as Beca is concerned, only that person's opinion on it matters.

So when Chloe still hasn't said anything on the other end of the phone, Beca jumps to the conclusion that she doesn't like it, and her palms start to sweat.

"Chloe?"

" _Sorry."_ Chloe clears her throat. _"It's amazing, Beca. No, more than that, I just can't come up with a word for it."_

Beca releases a long breath and leans against the wall. She smiles, an invisible weight lifting off her shoulders.

"It's mostly about you, you know. About _us_." She says quietly, picking at a loose thread in her scarf to have something to focus on other than the weight of her words. She knows Chloe must have figured that out, but she wants to make sure. "About how you changed my life."

She hears Chloe's sharp inhale and feels tears prick behind her eyes.

"I've never told you this, but before I got on this crazy journey to Paris, I was struggling with a lot of negative feelings because my label was riding me too hard, but also because there was something missing. I felt empty, or... not completely whole, anyway. Like there was something missing but I couldn't really figure what it was."

Beca pauses to take a deep breath, smiling through her tears.

"And then I found you, when I wasn't even looking for you. You came out of nowhere when I least expected you to, and I honestly don't know how I got this lucky. That's what track ten, _Serendipity_ is about."

" _I..."_

Beca chuckles when nothing but stunned silence follows up. "Have I actually managed to render _the_ Chloe Beale speechless?"

A sob rings out on the other end and Beca wishes she was in Paris to hold Chloe tight and pepper her face with kisses.

" _You wrote a song about us meeting. A_ _ **song**_ _, Beca,"_ Chloe blows out a breath. _"This is probably the most incredible thing anyone has ever done for me and I still can't believe it. I finished listening an hour ago but as you can tell, I'm still a blubbering mess."_

"I'm so relieved you like it. I... I don't really care about the fan's opinions, or the press, I just... Your opinion is the one that matters the most."

" _ **Like**_ _it? Baby."_ Chloe laughs tearfully. _"Past the whole 'there's a song about me out there' thing, your sound is amazing, Beca. Your words, they're... striking and_ _ **so**_ _relatable. In a breathtaking way. It's going to be a giant hit and I can't wait to watch that happen, because you deserve every bit of it."_

Beca exhales shakily and pads her cheeks dry with the hem of her scarf, only to have more spill out. "You have no idea how much your words mean to me, Chlo. I... I wish you were here, or I was there, or just... somewhere on this earth together."

Chloe's sniffle only makes Beca cry harder. _"So do I. I miss you so much."_

"I miss you, too."

Chloe clears her throat once more. _"How was the party?"_

"It was alright. I'm not one for parties, so I can't say I had a blast either. Lots of pictures and fake smiles and people I'm glad I don't see on a daily basis."

Chloe giggles. _"Are you going to spend the next few days sleeping it off?"_

"Yep, that's the plan."

" _Good. I need you in top form for when you come over here, baby."_

Beca closes her eyes. She's considering taking a cab to the airport right now, because they have only been apart for two weeks and she doesn't know how on earth she'll manage twelve more.

"Why? Is there more of Paris I need to discover?"

" _There's always more to discover,"_ Chloe says. _"But I was more thinking along the lines of activities that don't require leaving the apartment."_

Beca groans. "Okay, I'm going to hang up now because I know for a fact you need to get to work and I won't let you get me worked up."

Chloe laughs. _"Fair enough. I do have to go. I love you and I'll talk to you soon, K?"_

"Okay. Have a good day at work. I love you too and I'll hold you to that."

" _Bye."_

"Bye."

/

Falling back in her routine is harder than Beca thought it would be. Time flew while she was preparing her album, but now that it's out, it's as though the days drag on longer that they are supposed to.

It doesn't help that most of the artists she's producing are not that interesting. Except for Emily.

Emily is Beca's young protegée and Beca loves every minute of listening to her song ideas or recording them.

"That was great, Em," Beca speaks into the microphone, sharing a beaming smile with Emily through the glass. "Let's take five?"

"Do you think I should belt it out more in the second chorus?" Emily asks as she plops down in the seat across from Beca.

"I personally like it the way it is, but you can always give it a go and we can compare both."

"Okay, let's do that."

Beca's phone chimes alive with Chloe's face and Beca can't hold back the smile that spreads over her face.

"I'll be back," she tells Emily quickly, springing to her feet to step into her office and accept the video call. "Hi."

" _Baby!"_

Beca laughs at the excitement on Chloe's face. Chloe appears to be in her car, the epitome of cute with her glasses on and a messy bun sitting atop her head. It's already night time over there. "What's up, Chlo?"

" _Your song! It's on the radio!"_ Chloe reaches over to turn it up, Beca guesses, because the sound gets louder. _"In France! You're on the French radio!"_

Beca finds herself beaming more at Chloe's childlike excitement than at the fact that her song made it across the ocean.

"I hear, babe," Beca says fondly, then frowns. "You're not driving, are you?"

Chloe shakes her head. _"No. Well, not anymore. I pulled over when I heard your voice and called you. Should I be concerned of fans stalking me out here, now?"_

Beca snickers. "That's unlikely. They don't know who you are." Realizing it's very belittling, Beca stumbles over her next words. "I mean-"

 _"I know what you meant,"_ Chloe assures her with a wink. " _I have some news."_

There's this small smile tugging at Chloe's lips in excitement.

" _I got a call this morning. I may have been nominated for Best Monochrome photographer of the Year?"_

Chloe is biting down on her lip with that expression that shows she can't quite believe what she's saying.

Beca's jaw drops. "What?! Chloe!"

" _Yeah, I'm... I still need to wrap my head around it."_

"When is the Award ceremony? Is it in Paris?" Beca is already opening her computer to check her calendar.

Chloe smiles and shakes her head. _"There's no... ceremony per say, it's online or something, I guess. It's not that much of a big deal. But it's my first nomination ever, so."_

She finishes off with a shrug, as though it really wasn't incredible news.

"And you've waited five minutes to tell me this? It's not a big deal? Chlo, this is amazing and _so_ deserved."

" _Thanks, sweetie. I was going to call you, I was just excited about hearing you on the radio."_

"I can't believe you sometimes, Chloe Beale." Beca glances at the clock and sighs. "I have to go. Emily is waiting for me. We still on for that Skype date tomorrow night?"

" _Of course. Looking forward to it."_

"Me, too. Love you."

Chloe blows her a kiss. _"Love you too. Bye!"_

/

 **Chloe [1:18 PM]**

 _Babe!_

 **Beca [1:19 PM]**

 _Yes?_

 **Chloe [1:19 PM]**

 _You sent me flowers and chocolate!_

 **Beca [1:19 PM]**

 _Mmm. I guess I did._

 **Beca [1:20 PM]**

 _It's not every day my talented photographer of a girlfriend wins an award._

 **Beca [1:20 PM]**

 _And I'm super proud of you. You deserve this recognition, and many more down the road._

 **Chloe [1:20 PM]**

 _Beca._

 **Chloe [1:20 PM]**

 _You're going to make me cry._

 **Chloe [1:20 PM]**

 _Thank you ❤_

Heaving out a deep sigh, Beca slumps back into her seat.

It's mid-February. The weather in New York is cold and biting and depressing, and Beca misses Chloe to the point where it's starting to be insufferable.

Beca nibbles on her bottom-lip as she thinks about whether it's a good idea. She doesn't have any event for the next five days, only appointments and meetings she can push back if she did decide to give in to her crazy idea to get on a flight to Paris tomorrow.

 **Beca [1:25 PM]**

 _Any plans for the weekend?_

Beca starts to fiddle with the zipper on her hoodie the second she's pressed sent. Maybe her question isn't subtle enough, but she doesn't want to impose on Chloe if she has other plans or if she's spending the rest of the week down in Toulouse.

She stops working all together to look at flights for Paris, her fingers drumming against the wooden surface of her desk as she waits for a reply.

 **Chloe [1:27 PM]**

 _Nothing too exciting. I'll be at the gallery tomorrow._

 **Chloe [1:27 PM]**

 _And it's really cold outside so probably Netflix and Chill for the rest._

 **Chloe [1:27 PM]**

 _You?_

She finishes choosing her flight and typing it her credit card information before pondering on how blatant she wants her lie to be that Chloe will never guess she is on her way to see her.

 **Beca [1:32 PM]**

 _Fitting for the Grammys_

 **Chloe [1:32 PM]**

 _Squeeee_

 **Chloe [1:32 PM]**

 _I want pictures! :)  
_

 **Beca [1:33 PM]**

 _I'm technically not allowed to, but I guess I can make an exception._

 **Chloe [1:33 PM]**

 _You better ;) ;)  
_

When she gets home, Beca packs a light suitcase, asks Stacie if she can drive her to the airport tomorrow (Stacie squeals and nods) before she settles into bed, not able to catch a wink of sleep in excitement of finally getting to see Chloe again.

 _/_

"Je descends dans un instant !"

Two months. Two long months since Beca last heard that voice unfiltered. Although her mind can't register what was said, it still buzzes from excitement and slight apprehension.

She steps further into the space, intending to have her back turned when Chloe comes down the spiral staircase to add to the surprise.

It's mid-afternoon in Paris; Beca landed a little over an hour ago after 5480 miles of travel in the air.

Chloe's gallery is the same as she remembers it to be. A few pictures have been replaced or added, and the camera she got Chloe for Christmas is proudly displayed on a shelf on the far wall.

The atmosphere is very Chloe; a tranquil, soothing warmth, while the light pouring in through the large windows gives it a vibrant touch.

Soft music is playing from the speakers and Beca loses herself in Chloe's world for a moment, almost forgetting that Chloe has no idea she is here.

The sounds of footsteps over the ceiling about ten seconds later draws Beca out of her musings, her heartbeat in sync with each step that brings Chloe closer to her.

"Comment est ce que je peux – " Beca turns around to catch Chloe falter in shock. She gapes at Beca with wide eyes. "Beca?"

"Surprise?" Beca manages a sheepish grin and adds, "April was just too damn far away."

"Oh my God," Chloe whispers, seemingly frozen to her spot. She snaps out of it a handful of seconds later and takes quick strides towards Beca, throwing her arms around her frame. The force of the embrace makes Beca stumble backwards and has her laughing in Chloe's neck as she lifts Chloe off the ground a few inches.

Beca's eyes slip shut as she breathes in Chloe's scent and squeezes her tighter against her.

Pulling away, Chloe grips the lapels of Beca's coat, eyes relentlessly skipping over her face. "You're really here?"

Beca chooses to tug Chloe down into a searing kiss instead of replying, a kiss that hopefully translates how much she's missed her. Chloe responds eagerly, her fingers cupping each side of Beca's neck to draw her in even closer.

Chloe whimpers at the first stroke of Beca's tongue and Beca feels the sound echo deep within her. She tilts her head to deepen the kiss, her fingers curling into Chloe's shirt.

The kiss grows bolder with each passing second, dangerously threading with something Beca won't be able to tame if they keep going at this pace. A part of her brain is well aware one of Chloe's customers could very well walk in any moment.

"Chloe," she husks out, wrenching herself away to catch a breath.

"I need you," Chloe replies quick as a flash, staggering back from the kiss. The sudden darkness in her eyes makes Beca short of breath. "C'mon."

Peeling herself away, Chloe slips her hand into Beca's in directions of the stairs. She stops by her desk before they can reach them.

"What are you doing?" Beca asks in a whine of impatience, nipping at Chloe's earlobe to show her just how impatient she is. She watches as Chloe writes something in sharpie on a sheet of paper.

"Telling any customer that wants to come in that I'll be back in ten minutes."

" _Ten_ minutes? That's _all_?"

Chloe smiles cheekily, giving her a pointed look. "We haven't touched each other in more than two months, Bec. But I love how ambitious you are."

She scribbles over the 10 and replaces it with a 20, under Beca's satisfied eyes.

"Better?"

For good measure, Beca kisses her hard to let her know that she intends to make those twenty minutes she's granted with, worth it. Chloe lets out a quiet noise into the lip-lock, and once she's shaken herself out of her daze, walks to the glass door to tape the message on it and lock it.

Slightly dizzy from running up the spiral staircase, Beca sets both hands on Chloe's hips to steady herself and pins her against the nearest wall once her feet are on even ground. Her dizziness isn't helped by how good Chloe's lips feel against hers, warm and smooth as they move swiftly, in perfect sync with Beca's.

She gets lost in the sensation, her mind steadily losing any ounce of rationality as the low fire burning in the pit of her stomach grows bolder.

"God, I've missed you," she whispers as she gathers herself, pressing her forehead against Chloe's to thread some air.

Beca's eyes slide open, finding those familiar baby blues she fell for all these months ago in that same very place staring right back at her with an intensity that makes her already irregular breathing falter.

"Beca," Chloe whines when she remains too long without moving for her liking. Her hips find Beca's, and the simple pressure makes that fire burst into high flames, consuming Beca entirely.

Taking Chloe's hand into hers, Beca tugs her along, past the curtain separating the work-space from the darkroom.

"I've always wanted to do it in here," she murmurs somewhat bashfully when Chloe gives her a quizzical look. She comes to a stop in front of one the work spaces and sets both hands on Chloe's hips. "Since that day you taught me how to print film."

A small noise low from Chloe's throat flits through her lips. "Really?"

"Yeah. Watching you share your knowledge and your passion about photography was really hot. And..." Beca breaks eye-contact for a second to gather her bearings as the memory alone makes her body strum. "It was also in this very room that I realized what I felt for you was so much more than just a fling."

"Really?" Chloe repeats, this time more quietly.

Beca hums in affirmation, letting her hands drop as she glances at the table laden with high-tech material.

"Now as much as I would like to be the 'sweep everything off the table and lift you up on it' kind of girlfriend, that shit looks expensive, so I'm not going to do that."

Chloe nods, teeth tugging her bottom lip in to stifle a laugh. "Good call."

After clearing the table, Beca feels the nerves tickle her limbs from stirring herself out of her comfort zone.

"So should I lift you up or do you want to climb up, or?" Chloe's giggle makes her freeze and wince. "Did I just totally ruin the moment?"

"No," Chloe assures her with a tiny laugh, cupping her neck to kiss her. She climbs onto the table and hooks both pointer fingers into the loops of Beca's jeans to tug her in between her legs. "But you _are_ very cute when you get embarrassed."

Beca's glare is wiped away by a smile when Chloe's lips brush lightly against hers. "God, I've missed you so fucking much, you have no idea."

Chloe wraps an arm around Beca's shoulder to draw her even closer. "I think I do, if it's any degree similar to how _I've_ missed you."

Beca snickers before she can help herself. "Are we one of those disgustingly cute couples now?"

"Beca?" Chloe's voice drops to a serious timbre sprinkled with impatience. Beca hums, eyes flicking up from where they've been locked on Chloe's lips, to find impossibly dark orbs staring back at her. A chill runs down to the tip of her toes. "Twenty minutes."

"Right," Beca shakes her head to refocus, but still dares a smug, "Good thing I changed your mind about the ten minutes, huh?"

"Beca," Chloe is the one to whine this time. "I swear. Kiss me before I burst."

"Jeez, okay," she mutters good-naturally. "You're bossy."

Just as she's about to grant Chloe a kiss, Beca straightens and extends her arm to the left. She fumbles with the light switches for a few seconds, smiling in satisfaction when the room is plunged in red light.

"Much better."

Grinning, Beca nudges her nose against Chloe's and captures her lips into a bruising kiss as her hands slide along Chloe's waist, past her shirt to draw patterns on the small of her back.

The atmosphere tips from goofy to thick as the warmth of Chloe's skin under her fingers sparks a bolt of lightning down her spine, scattering into tiny shocks to every corner of her body.

Beca steps closer until the edge of the table prevents her from going any further. They both inhale into the kiss and Chloe's fingers tangle into Beca's hair as she tilts her head to deepen it, her tongue running over Beca's bottom lip.

As they break apart to draw some air back into their empty lungs, Beca takes a moment to compose herself and look at Chloe. Reaching up, she brushes a strand of hair away from Chloe's face, her fingers drifting down her jaw to hold her chin. Her lips are red and swollen, and the blues of her eyes saturated.

She looks breathtaking, and Beca still has to pinch herself to make sure this is all real, that Chloe is her girlfriend.

"You're so beautiful," Beca whispers, rubbing the pad of her thumb over the dip in Chloe's chin. "Sometimes I can't believe I'm yours and you're mine."

"Baby," Chloe whimpers, locking her legs behind Beca's thighs as her hips surge forward and into Beca's, wrenching a groan out of her. Beca nods in silent agreement, dropping her head down to Chloe's neck to trail her lips down her skin, alternating between light sucking and teeth grazing.

Chloe is already quivering in her arms as she skips over her chest and covered stomach. Dropping onto her knees, Beca runs her hands over Chloe's thighs to lift up her skirt. Her fingers find the elastic band of her tights and she pauses to glance up at Chloe.

"May I?"

"Fuck, _yes_ , please."

Desire trickling down her veins, Beca turns her head to the side to gently bite Chloe's thigh through the fabric. "I love it when you curse."

"Bec," Beca nods and gets to work before the twenty minutes are up, moaning when she gets to taste Chloe for the first time in two months.

It's sort of exhilarating, having a time set to cross the finish line. She does with a handful of minutes to spare, having drawn out Chloe's pleasure enough for her to beg but not too much for it to become torture.

Smirking in satisfaction at Chloe's half-lidded and hazy eyes when her body slumps against the wall behind her, Beca rises to her feet.

She kisses Chloe gently, before looking at her wrist as though she had an invisible watch.

"Landing was smooth and without a hitch, you have exactly three minutes to recuperate before the doors open." She does a mock salute. "Captain Beca out."

Snickering, Chloe straightens and grips the collar of Beca's shirt to pull her in for another kiss. "You're such a dork. Let's go home."

" _Home_?" Beca echoes skeptically. "What about the gallery?"

"My girlfriend just flew across the ocean to surprise me, so I couldn't care less about the gallery right now," Chloe pauses, hopping down the table and sliding her tights back up her legs. She pulls Beca closer to kiss her, tugging at her bottom lip. "All I care about is taking you home and fucking you senseless. Got any objection?"

Beca's jaw hangs open for a beat or two, her heart reaching a thundering speed in her ears.

"N-no."

"Good," Chloe kisses her for good measure. "Let's go, then."

She makes a note to herself to surprise Chloe more often in the future.

 _/_

"Bec,"

Beca hums and leans up to kiss Chloe's chin. "Whassup?"

Chloe's chest vibrates with laughter against Beca's cheek. "You plan on staying in bed until tomorrow morning?"

"Yes," she replies, tightening her hold on Chloe's waist and throwing a leg over one of Chloe's to make sure she doesn't move away. "And I plan on making you stay, too."

"That won't require much convincing," Chloe murmurs, her nails lightly trailing up and down Beca's spine.

"What time's it?" she mumbles, Chloe's heartbeat steady into her ear slowly lulling her to sleep.

"Just after five."

Beca knows she shouldn't fall asleep for another handful of hours, but her body is spent and her mind still has to land from the clouds.

"I'm actually supposed to have dinner tonight with some friends and I'd like you to meet them, if you feel like it."

"Sure," Beca agrees without having to think much about it. She glances up to meet Chloe's eyes. "Is Aubrey going to be there, too?"

"Yeah, it's actually at her place."

"Uh, oh. Should I brace myself for the best friend talk?"

Chloe chuckles. "Probably. Knowing Aubrey, she might be cold at first. She's like that. We called her General Posen in college because she was a tough coach."

Beca frowns and sits up, holding the sheet to her chest as she pivots to face Chloe. "Coach for what?" she wiggles her eyebrows. "Were you a hot soccer player?"

"No."

"Damn."

"Sorry to burst your fantasy bubble, babe." Chloe leans up to kiss her quickly. "I was in an A Capella group."

"What!" Beca grins at that piece of information. "How am I only finding about this now?"

Chloe shrugs. "Never came up, I guess. It was fun. We never won Nationals, but we had the time of our lives."

"There are videos, right?" Chloe's bashful expression answers the question for her. "I wanna see."

After a bit more convincing (not with words), Chloe slides out of bed to get her computer. Beca immediately laughs upon seeing their flight attendant costume.

"Sorry," she whispers sheepishly upon catching Chloe's glare. "I'll be good."

Chloe shows her several of their numbers, and Beca feels less nervous about meeting Aubrey now that she saw her puke her guts out in front of hundreds at a National event.

"So, um," Beca starts as Chloe puts her computer away. "Do you still have that flight attendant costume?"

Chloe raises an amused eyebrow as she lies back. "I thought you found it ridiculous?"

"On the other Bellas, maybe. Looks kinda hot on you."

Pushing at Beca's shoulder to have her lie down, Chloe swiftly moves to straddle her waist. Beca attempts to focus on her eyes and not the rest that is now left uncovered, but fails, letting them roam over Chloe's body. Chloe's red strands of hair are beautifully framing her face as they cascade down her shoulders and Beca feels short of breath.

"Only kinda?" she aks, leaning down to trace Beca's jaw with her lips.

Beca's hands find Chloe's hips to keep her exactly where she is. " _Fine._ Extremely hot."

Chloe grins against her skin, moving down to her neck and lightly biting at her pulse point. "I think it's at my parent's, back in the States."

"Too bad," Beca manages through a moan when Chloe sucks on that spot that drives her crazy. "I was ready to join the mile-high club."

"You haven't?" Chloe asks as she pulls back, and Beca bites back a whine at the loss.

"Have _you_?"

Beca isn't sure she wants to know the extent of the wild things Chloe has done, especially when those weren't with her.

"No, but it's on my sex bucket-list."

Beca's eyes widen before she can help it. "You – you have a sex bucket list?" Chloe nods, expression sheepish. "Holy hell."

Chloe shrugs. "It's just bunch of fantasies."

Beca takes a deep breath; her body temperature abruptly went through the roof. "Like what?"

"Doing it in a dressing room," Chloe starts, then purses her lips in thought. "Or in any public place, really. There's a thrill about playing when you can get caught."

A chill washes over Beca's entire length. "Damn."

Chloe giggles and winks. Beca wonders how someone can be so cute and sexy at the same time. "Being tied-up and being the one to tie my partner up."

"I knew it." Beca drawls out with a squint, squeezing Chloe's hips.

"What about you? What are your fantasies?"

Beca knows she's already red in the face just hearing about Chloe's, and can feel the heat move down to her neck and chest when it runs out of space.

"Well," she clears her throat when it comes out squeaky. "The dark-room was one of those and fuck, it was even better than what I imagined. And I spent a lot of time doing that. Maybe um... being blindfolded?"

Chloe lets out a tiny whimper. "What else?"

"Don't make fun of me?"

"I won't."

"I'm a huge comic book nerd."

"Okay?"

"And I, uh, I've always found Catwoman _very_ attractive."

"Oh," Chloe grins wickedly. "That can be arranged."

Beca is the one to whimper this time.

"Come on, we need to get ready," Chloe announces then, just when Beca's body is really getting on board with whatever Chloe wants to do to it. Beca gapes as Chloe starts to move off her, and grips her waist.

"Can I change my mind about dinner?"

"Nope. We're going."

"Not _fair_ ," she grumbles petulantly. "You go and ask me about my fantasies while completely straddling me, completely naked might I add, and leave me hanging?"

"Well, I was going to propose we take a shower but that's up to you, if you'd rather stay here and mop."

"Fine," Beca mumbles. "I guess all I can do is accept that bargain."

"Ass." Chloe snickers, pinching Beca's waist before she flies out of bed, Beca hurrying after her.

/

Dinner is nice. Aubrey is indeed a little guarded at first but gradually warms up to Beca as the evening progresses. Chloe's group of friends is very international, and different languages flow around the table, along with delicious wine and mouthwatering food.

She realizes during the board game they are playing how comfortable she's acting with Chloe, even around her people she's just met. How her hand naturally comes to rest on Chloe's thigh when she sits back after rolling the dice or how she finds herself kissing her cheek several times in the few hours spent at Aubrey's.

"Your friends are really nice," Beca tells Chloe when they get back to her place. Chloe tosses her keys in the bowl by the entry and smiles. "I'm glad I met them."

Chloe walks over to where Beca stands in the living-room and sets her hands on the lapels of her jacket. "So am I. And they loved you, I could tell."

Beca chuckles, tugging Chloe closer by the hips. "Even Aubrey?"

"Especially Aubrey," Beca raises a surprised eyebrow at that. "She's never warmed up that quickly to any of my past boyfriends."

"Why's that?"

Chloe clears her throat. "Most people I dated turned out to be bad news. She has a hunch for these kinds of things and it took me a while to trust it. Could have saved me a few heartbreaks."

Beca hums, her brain stuck on wondering just how many times Chloe got her heart broken.

"So you've been in serious relationships before?" she asks instead.

"Yeah. Just once. His name was Tom. We met at Barden, he was in the basketball team. Typical jock, with typical jock behavior and Aubrey never understood why I started going out with him in the first place. I still fell hard and fast and I was stupid enough to think we had a future, that maybe he was the one."

"What happened?"

"We broke-up after three years together. I confronted him because we barely saw each other anymore and he didn't seem to care. We had a huge fight; he said I was clingy and insecure. I knew our relationship couldn't remain healthy if he didn't want to spend as much time with me as I wanted with him." Chloe shrugs. "So I left him. I realized I deserved much better. It was hard but I know I made the right decision in the end. I learned a lot about myself during that time and it made me grow as a person."

"I'm sorry," Beca says softly. "Well, no. I'm not sorry you left him, because he sounds like a prick. I'm just sorry you got your heart broken in the process."

"It's okay. My heart healed a long time ago and it's now the fullest it's been in a long time."

Beca smiles; she knows from the way Chloe's looking at her and the talk they had back in New York that she has something to do with that.

"And Aubrey noticed that tonight. She witnessed how happy you make me so you won many points there. The fact that you're funny and smart didn't hurt."

Chloe confirming that fact doesn't hurt, either. Beca's heart does that fluttering thing in her chest and she leans in to kiss Chloe, her hands sliding from Chloe's hips to meet behind her back and pull her closer.

"I'm glad I passed the best friend test."

"Beca?" Chloe husks against her lips a few seconds into another kiss. Her fists curl around the leather of her jacket. "Were you serious about this fantasy of yours to be blindfolded? Cause I may not have a full-body leather suit on hand, but a blind-fold?" Chloe hums. "I can come up with something."

"Fuck." Beca utters, fingers digging into Chloe's hips.

"Do you trust me?"

Beca nearly rolls her eyes at the obviousness of that answer, but still appreciates Chloe asking. "Of course I do."

Chloe is dragging her to her bedroom the second Beca acquiesces, and Beca's body follows on auto-pilot, her mind still foggy over the fact that she gets to fulfill _two_ fantasies in the same _day_.

/

Beca rouses from her slumber to a soft voice drifting from the living-room. It's speaking in French, and she doesn't understand any of it, but she knows it's definitely Chloe.

It sends a handful of butterflies in her stomach, and while she didn't get enough hours of sleep and her brain feels mushy from the jet-lag, Beca wants to make the most of the few days she gets in Paris.

After freshening up and throwing one of Chloe's fluffy blankets over her shoulders, Beca pads barefoot on the hardwood floor and sits on the couch, settling against Chloe's left side.

"I won't be long," Chloe whispers as she tucks the phone away from her mouth and brushes her lips across Beca's forehead, her arm coming around Beca's back.

" 'S okay," Beca mumbles, resting her head in the crook of Chloe's neck after pressing a light morning kiss below her ear.

She slides her left hand along Chloe's stomach to curl it around her right hip, fingers dipping under her shirt to rub her thumb over smooth skin. Her eyes slip shut as she sinks further into the soothing timbre of Chloe's voice and the warmth of her body.

"Breakfast?"

"Mm?"

Beca lifts her head, blinking several times. She didn't even notice Chloe had ended her phone-call and figures she must have dozed off.

Chloe smiles and kisses her softly. "I'm really happy you're here."

Beca grins through her sleepiness, chasing Chloe's lips for another kiss. She ends up on minutes later on Chloe's lap, with both hands under her shirt, tracing the muscles in her lower back as they trade languid kisses.

Beca backs away, laughing when her stomach growls. She rubs her lips together, gazing at Chloe. "What are we doing today?"

"Depends, did you get your cuddle fix already?" Chloe teases.

"Shut up." Beca mutters, breaking eye-contact as red rushes to meet her cheeks.

Laughter bubbling in her chest, Chloe throws her arms around Beca's frame and squeezes her tight.

"Chloe," Beca whines, trying to squirm away. "You're squishing me, this isn't a legit Chloe Beale hug. I demand a refund."

Chloe lets her go and kisses her apologetically.

"I want to discover more of Paris," Beca says after another minute spent kissing. Her stomach is growing impatient but she ignores it for the time being. "I'm sure you have plenty of awesome places under your sleeve."

"Well, I've always wanted to visit the Parisian sewage system," Chloe replies with the utmost seriousness. Beca recoils with a frown.

"Are you _high_?"

"No." Chloe giggles and kisses her shoulder, "It's an underground museum. Tells you a lot about how Paris was built the way it is today."

Beca's nose wrinkles up. She's suddenly not too hungry anymore. "Thanks, but I'll pass."

"I've also wanted to visit the old prison from the Revolution."

"First the cata-thing with the skeletons last summer, now the prison?" Beca scolds. "You really know how to sweep a girl off her feet."

"Well, I did, didn't I?" Chloe grins into her shoulder.

Beca rolls her eyes. "Yeah, but not with that."

Chloe pulls away to look at her. "With what, then?"

Beca kisses her, for no other reason than simply wanting to. She clears her throat and attempts to pull her thoughts from the thick fog Chloe's kisses created in her brain.

"The way you choose to see the world was a pretty big factor; how you read people and how open and understanding you are about your own feelings and those of others." She smiles and pushes a lock of hair past Chloe's ear. "Your passion for photography was and still is another one of those reasons. It's truly compelling to hear you talk about photography, it makes me want to learn even more. The way you tell stories and unveil emotions through unmoving frames is disarming and mesmerizing and shows just how talented you are."

Beca pauses and shrugs, because every little thing she loves about Chloe is obvious to her now as opposed to when she was still struggling to acknowledge her feelings last summer.

"All that added to your kindness, your contagious bubbliness, adorableness, and the fact that you are one of the most beautiful person I've ever laid my eyes on, I really didn't stand a chance in trying to resist you. I was in from the first few days."

Chloe remains silent for a long stretch, staring so intensely at Beca that she feels her eyes trace her soul.

Eventually, she lets out a stunned laugh and captures her lips in a long kiss. "You're quite something, Beca Mitchell."

"Right back at you," Beca murmurs, dipping in for another kiss before they share a lasting, heart-melting embrace. "Okay, enough sappy stuff. Come on,"

She springs to her feet and holds both hands out to help Chloe up.

"Teach me photography," Beca requests when Chloe is level with her. "I wanna walk in your shoes. How you choose what you want to capture and all that stuff. Unless it's sealed information."

Chloe's eyebrow knit together. "Sealed information?"

"You know, like magicians who won't share their tricks. Are you one of those?"

Chloe's confusion morphs into amusement. "Well, no, I'm not a magician to begin with."

"Mm, could have fooled me," Beca ponders for a second, then tugs Chloe closer by the hips and lightly brushes her lips against hers. "Cause you're pretty magical."

"Oh my gosh," Chloe rolls her eyes, draping her arms over Beca's shoulders. "How long have you been waiting to to say that?"

Beca grins slyly, winding her arms around Chloe's waist. "A couple minutes."

"Okay, you dork, get some actual clothes and let's go, then."

"Alright, alright."

/

"It's light," Beca observes out loud, weighing the small camera in her hands with a frown. It's one of Chloe's five cameras, but she has never held this one before.

"If you're gonna do that, can you do me a favor and put the strap around your neck, sweetie?" Chloe requests softly, and Beca's eyes widen slightly, before she scrambles to do just so. "Sorry, it's not that I don't trust you, but it's my baby."

"Yeah, no, I understand. I don't let anyone else use my headphones."

"You let me," Chloe points out with a tilt of the head.

"Well, yeah. Probably because of the same reason I'm holding your camera right now." They share a small smile at that, before Beca glances around at their surroundings.

Chloe decided to take her to Montmartre as it's one of her favorite place to people-watch. Beca leans back against the street railing behind her; it's a pedestrian-only area, and Chloe is standing ten feet away, in the middle of the street. "So what am I taking pictures of?"

"You decide," Chloe tells her with a confident nod. "Walk around, see what you can see, think about what type of emotion you want to capture. This is going to sound extremely corny, but you gotta observe the place you want to shoot first with your heart, and then with the camera."

Beca hums to herself and pretends to look around, before raising the camera to her face and snapping several pictures of Chloe the second she turns her gaze away.

"Why are you taking pictures of _me_?"

Beca grins cheekily. Chloe did say to shoot what her heart was set on. Or something along those lines. She isn't sure, she tends to black out whenever Chloe talks about her passion. The sudden light and sparkle in Chloe's eye when she does is always so endearing and distracting.

"Well, you just said – "

"Oh my gosh, Bec, when did you become so cheesy?" Chloe interrupts with a shake of the head.

"You like it," Beca states confidently. Chloe's resigned sigh tells her she's right. "Besides, there are never pictures of you. And since you've made the awful mistake of lending me your camera, I'm going to change that. Now smile, dammit."

Predictably, Chloe sulks, then sticks her tongue out at the lens.

"That's the spirit," Beca deadpans, lowering the camera. She walks over to Chloe to kiss her pout away. "Sorry, I'll be a good student from now on. Promise. I just need a few pointers on how you choose what to shoot."

"Okay," Chloe tugs her along for a short distance and stops when she spots something. "See, this is a very cute square," Beca makes a sound of approval. It's surrounded by small, colorful cafes or bistros and looks straight out of the _Amelie Poulain_ movie Chloe made her watch the last time she was in Paris. "You can take a photo of it and it will be a nice picture, but it won't convey much emotion. Emotion, or a feeling, is what can bring a snapshot out of obscurity and make it shine."

Beca nods along to Chloe's explanation, eyes flitting between her girlfriend and their surroundings.

"And emotion can be evoked through many things; movement, spontaneity or mood. See that couple over there?" Chloe jerks her chin discreetly to a pair talking over a cup of coffee in the café by the corner of the square. The woman has her head thrown back as she laughs while the man, her boyfriend or husband watches on with a fond smile. Beca finds herself smiling at the exchange. "There."

Beca glances away to find Chloe staring at her. Her mind feels miles away from the current situation. "What?"

"You smiled upon watching them, right?" she asks and Beca nods without really meaning to. "It triggered something in you so I guess it's worth photographing."

Beca nods again, not daring to tell Chloe why it made her smile. While watching the couple, a part of her mind drifted to imagining how amazing it would be to do that with Chloe; get coffee and croissants each morning at the cafe in Chloe's street before they go to work.

It's such a simple thing, having a routine with the person she loves. Yet it's what Beca's heart longs for when she thinks about how she has to leave Chloe again in just a few days.

She knows deep down this isn't something they will get to have any time soon. It's more likely to take a few years and that thought alone makes Beca's head spin.

A few years. She is already struggling with the long-distance after a few _months_. The realization strikes her out of nowhere, like a sucker-punch to the gut; how little they have figured out and just how long this installment, going back and forth from New York to Paris or from Paris to New York is most likely to be their future.

A warm hand slips into hers, drawing Beca away from her increasing anxiety.

"Where did you go?"

"Sorry." Beca shakes her head to dismiss those tinted thoughts and gives Chloe a strained smile. "I was just thinking about what you said about emotions and how true it was."

Chloe stares at her another for another stretch, as though she wants to say something, but her better judgment decides otherwise.

They spend most of the day snapping pictures and acting goofy, Chloe even indulging in being Beca's model for a whole hour. They stop when the cold is too biting to continue, finding shelter in a small cafe tucked around a corner of one of those small, cobblestones streets.

It's Sunday afternoon, and unlike the outside, the café is warm and cheery, bustling with patrons of all ages. They find a small table in a corner, so tiny that their knees touch under the surface.

Chloe orders two hot chocolates with whipped cream and sprinkles on top and somehow manages to have her phone ready at hand to snap a picture of Beca with a mustache of cream after her first sip.

Beca glares, Chloe giggles, and presses a sheepish kiss to the apple of her cheek as her hand settles atop Beca's in the middle of the table.

They stop to get take-out on the way home and watch it in front of _F.R.I.E.N.D.S._ Chloe laughs at every joke while Beca spends most of the episode endearingly gazing at her from the corner of her eye and doesn't really register any of them.

They shuffle to bed when the droop of their eyelids becomes too insistent, and slip under the covers, bodies stirring towards each other like magnets.

"Can we stay in tomorrow?" Beca whispers, hand falling to the dip of Chloe's waist. Chloe hums and brushes a lazy kiss across her neck.

"In need of cuddles?"

Beca grunts. "I should have never told you about this."

"We can do whatever you want, babe. I'm not picky as long as it means I get to spend time with you."

Beca draws in a discreet breath. "Yeah."

Chloe's eyebrows knit together as her eyes trace Beca's features. "You've got that look in your eye again. What is it?"

"Nothing," Beca lies. She doesn't want to ruin the remaining time they have together by voicing her stupid feelings. "I... it's nothing. I'm just happy to be here."

Chloe's frown dissipates and she drops another kiss on Beca's skin. "So am I."

Beca begs her mind to let go of her oppresive anguish and step into lighter subjects. "Thanks for the photography class today. I wasn't the most disciplined student but you are a great teacher."

"My pleasure," Chloe murmurs. "We can pick it up where we left off next time, if you want to."

"Next time?" Beca echoes.

"Next time you visit, yeah."

Chloe's tone is light and confident, and Beca starts to wonder exactly how long Chloe sees this long-distance installment last.

She remembers Chloe's promise that they will figure something out, but nothing feels figured out at all, simply because the future of their relationship has never been addressed.

Chloe reaches over to turn off the light and drapes an arm over Beca's midsection. "Goodnight, baby."

"Night," Beca replies absentmindedly, her fingers running up and down Chloe's forearm on their own accord.

She takes a deep breath to try to alleviate the weight pressing on her chest and closes her eyes.

Sleep doesn't come easily.

/

The next couple days are mostly spent in Chloe's apartment, lounging around and making the most of their time together.

(and cuddling. Lots of cuddling.)

They dance around the talk they definitely should be having, or at least the one _Beca_ believes they should.

Chloe doesn't show any inclination to initiate it. Beca doesn't know if it's because Chloe is just being her overly optimistic, positive self, if she is good at pretending, or if maybe, this whole long-distance and the goodbyes that come with it are not as heart-wrenching for her as they feel for Beca.

And that last hypothesis, encouraged by that nagging voice in a corner of Beca's brain, has been knocking down everything in its path ever since it managed to make itself heard when Beca woke up this morning.

She has been thinking about it so much in the last few hours that her brain hurts. She's leaving for the airport in the morning and knows she needs to talk to Chloe before she bursts; she knows damn well it's the only way to get past her irrational insecurities.

Somehow, Chloe beats her to it.

"Okay," Chloe announces as she plops down on her bed after washing up. It's pushing ten PM in Paris and Beca has yet to pack up her suitcase. "Do you want to talk about what's been going on in your head since that afternoon in Montmartre a couple days ago?"

Beca looks up from her sitting spot against the headboard, surprised.

Chloe smiles sadly at her expression. "Baby. If you think I can't tell something's wrong, you still have a lot to learn about me."

Beca focuses back on picking at her nails. "I was just thinking."

"I know that," Chloe sighs and shuffles up to lie on her side beside Beca. She props her elbow on the mattress, nestling her chin in her palm. Her other hand stills Beca's fiddling ones. "What about?"

"About us," Beca shrugs, finally glancing at Chloe. "About this long-distance thing."

Chloe takes a cautious pause. "Okay?"

"About how difficult it gets sometimes, especially when we don't know where this is going."

Chloe visibly swallows and takes a while to reply. "Are you- are you having seconds thoughts about this? About _us_?"

Her tone is tainted with that same vulnerability as the last time Beca brought it up at the end of their summer together. She suddenly feels ridiculous and incredibly guilty for thinking that Chloe isn't hurting as much as she is whenever they have to part.

"No, of course not," Beca is quick to assure her. She wraps her fingers around Chloe's and brings their joined hands to her mouth to lay a kiss across Chloe's knuckles. "I was just... I miss you a lot and the time we get to spend together is so short compared to our time apart. It's not - it's not easy."

"I know," Chloe admits, falling silent for a beat as her thumb draws soothing patterns over the back of Beca's hand. "I wish we could spend more time together, too."

The words are out of Beca's mouth before she can lock them down.

"Have you, um, do you see yourself living in New York, someday?"

Chloe is silent for long seconds, her expression unreadable. Beca regrets asking that question the second it gets out and wants to backtrack.

"Nevermind, I- It's stupid."

"No, no," Chloe sits up and shakes her head. "It's not stupid, and I've thought about it. Quite a few times, actually."

Beca clears her throat to keep her voice steady. She knows there is a but coming and it's already tearing at her chest. "But?"

"Someday, maybe."

This should reassure Beca, but it doesn't. She isn't sure how many more goodbyes and months apart her heart can take.

She gazes down to their linked hands and swallows down the lump in her throat. "Right."

Chloe lets out a patient sigh. "Beca, look at me." Beca does, tentatively. "We – we haven't been together for a year and I..." Chloe closes her eyes briefly, weighing her words. "I feel like, giving it some serious thought might be um, too soon? I mean, it's a big step."

Beca groans and runs a hand over her face. Chloe is right. Beca doesn't know when she became the one in the relationship to burn steps. It's not like her; she's always been the one to back-up in a corner whenever things moved too fast for her liking.

Yet, here she is, asking the woman she has been dating for less than a year to think about moving across the ocean for her.

It dawns on her how Chloe must feel and Beca realizes how utterly stupid of a question that was to ask. She knows she would be running for the hills if she were in Chloe's shoes, yet Chloe's understanding and gentle expression shows her just how well she gets her, how she knows the question was fueled by Beca's fears.

"I'm sorry," Chloe says softly, squeezing her hand. "I just don't want us to launch into something head-first and risk causing either of us heartache because we moved too fast. It's a very big decision to make and there are a lot of things to consider."

"No, _I'm_ sorry," Beca counters quickly. "You're right. I don't know why I want to burn steps, I just…" she closes her eyes in frustration when the appropriate words can't seem to form in her brain. "Can we forget about the whole thing?"

"No," Beca frowns at Chloe's small smile. "Because I'm glad to know that you're thinking about the future. I wanted to talk to you about it but I kept chickening out."

Chloe squeezes her hand and draws in a lungful of air.

"Listen, I… I don't know what lies ahead for us but one thing I know for sure is that I love you and I want to make this work just as much as you do."

Beca nods. "I'm sorry for being insecure and shit."

"Stop apologizing," Chloe requests softly, leaning in to kiss Beca and placate the other string of muttered apologies ready to fly out of Beca's mouth. She settles back besides Beca in much of the same position as before and sets her free hand over Beca's stomach. "Are we – Are we okay?"

"Yeah," Beca nods once more, trying to ignore the overwhelmingly bitter taste on her tongue. Stating that they're okay feels more like a lie than a truth. _She_ 's not okay. She can't pinpoint what's happening, why her heart suddenly feels like it's being squeezed, even though Chloe has given her enough proofs to believe in their future. She wills herself to pack-up the leftover doubt in the corner of her brain. Chloe has faith in them, so she should, too. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Chloe smiles, but it's not as bright as it usually is. Her eyes are fleeting, as though reading Beca's conflicting thoughts. "And maybe, I was thinking I could spend the summer in New York?"

Beca blows out a relieved breath and kisses Chloe softly. "I'd love that."

/

Saying goodbye the following morning is just as difficult as the two previous times. Chloe cries, and Beca cries and the only thing that keeps Beca from completely breaking down is the knowledge that she'll be back in France in less than two months.

As she steps inside the cab, Beca tries to think about that indescribable sensation of happiness that overcomes her body every time she reunites with Chloe, rather than acknowledge how beat-up her heart feels walking away from her one more time.

Her phone chimes in her pocket mere seconds after the cab drove off.

 **Chloe [11:33 AM]**

 _I love you_

Beca closes her eyes. The three little words manage to worm their way past the many layers of overwhelming emotions crushing her chest and nestle right into her heart, mending the cracks one by one.

 **Beca [11:34 AM]**

 _I love you, too_

She makes the promise to herself to hold onto that whenever the pain of being apart becomes all too much.

* * *

Before you chuck something at my head, there will a third part. Thank you for the beautiful and overwhelming response on the first part!

 _Translations:_  
 _J'aimerais que ce soit moi en train de te toucher_ = I wish I was the one touching you  
 _J'aimerais sentir tes mains sur ma peau et tes lèvres contre les miennes_ = I wish I coul feel your hands on my skin and your lips against mine  
 _A bientôt, mon amour_ = see you soon, my love  
 _Je descends dans un instant !_ = I'll be down in a minute  
 _Comment est ce que je peux_ = How can I/How may I


	3. Aeonian

**Hello!**

 **Before I apologize for the delay on this, I want to go over a few things following the response on my last fic _i wish you the best (all this world could give) :_**

 ** _-_ If you're going to leave one-sentence review calling either Beca or Chloe names (with absolutely NO reason in the story to do so, in my eye, at least), please move along. These types of comments are an insult to my writing and won't help me improve it in any way.I'm guessing it was a troll, but I still wanted to mention it. **

**\- I get that some of you were not happy with the angst and the no-prospect of a happy ending, but there's no need for you to tell me 'I think you should follow up _super_ quickly with the third part of Through the Lens' as though I needed to hassle in delivering something so I could stay in your good books. I'm sorry, but I don't think I _should_ do anything, and this kind of attitude did not motivate me _at all_ to bust my ass to publish this ASAP.  
**

 **Fanfiction is _free_ content over which writers spend a fair amount of hours producing ******(about a couple hundred hours for this particular one)** and I enjoy doing it and it makes me very happy that you enjoy reading it, too. What I don't enjoy, however, is the type of people that take it for granted and have the balls to _demand_ stuff on top of that. **

**So, in the future, if you fit in that category while reading any of my stories, please don't bother saying anything. Nobody forces you to read it. I appreciate and welcome constructive criticism, the kind that can make me improve my writing, not the kind that triggers my anxiety.  
**

 **There, rant is over.**

 **On that note, I would like to apologize to you guys for taking such a long time writing the third part. I really struggled putting the right amount of angst into it and making it realistic. I've never been in a long-distance relationship (or in a relationship at all, actually) so it was kind of challenging. I'm still not happy with the end result, but I feel like I had to publish it.**

 **Hope you enjoy it anyway, and thank you for being patient and for the wonderful comments left on the two previous parts.**

 **Bonne lecture !** **xx**

* * *

Aeonian _(noun)_ : eternal; everlasting.

* * *

The pain tearing at Beca's chest slowly lessens when she gets back to her routine in New York. She's thankfully too busy to let her mind wander any more to the uncertainty of their relationship down the road.

She wins her first Grammy ever for _Best Artist_ a couple weeks later. It's crazy and surreal, to have most of her idols come to her and congratulate her for her win. She pinches herself several times throughout the night to wake up from what definitely feels like a dream.

There's an avalanche of messages from Chloe when she finally gets the chance to look at her phone after the long ceremony, the many interviews and the after-party she kinda has to go to as a Grammy winner. Chloe's shriek when Beca calls her in the early morning probably damages her eardrum forever.

She almost has a heart attack when she catches sight of the giant teddy bear taking up most of her King sized bed when she gets home the following afternoon. It has a red bow around its neck and a card with her name on it.

 **Beca [10:09 AM]**

 _Chlo, that teddy bear is probably as big as me._

Beca takes off her shoes, trades her travel leggings for comfy sweatpants and plops down on her bed, snuggling against the giant plush animal.

 **Chloe [10:13 AM]**

 _I told the store I called to deliver the biggest one they had. You won a GRAMMY, Beca!_

 **Beca [10:13 AM]**

 _I didn't know getting a teddy bear was a tradition for winning a Grammy?_

 **Chloe [10:13 AM]**

 _It's a Chloe Beale tradition. :D_

 **Beca [10:13 AM]**

 _Pretty sure you just made that up, babe._

 **Chloe [10:15 AM]**

 _Whatever :p_

 **Chloe [10:15 AM]**

 _Is it any different to wake up knowing you won a Grammy?_

 **Beca [10:15 AM]**

 _Not really. Probably because I can hardly believe it, yet._

 **Chloe [10:15 AM]**

 _You better start, because I have this hunch it's the first of many._

 **Chloe [10:16 AM]**

 _I can't remember all the things I screamed into your ear yesterday, but in case I didn't, you looked super sexy in that suit. I was all hot and bothered. O.O_

Beca laughs, shaking her head endearingly. People were still commenting on her looks, dotting it as one of the best of the Grammys this year and something about giving the gays what they wanted. Beca should really send some chocolates to her stylist as a thank-you.

 **Chloe [10:16 AM]**

 _And you talked about me in your speech._

After thanking her team, Beca took a moment to thank the muse behind her renewed inspiration and how that person changed her life. She didn't give out Chloe's name; Chloe herself as well as the most important people in her life knew who she was talking about, and that was enough.

 **Beca [10:17 AM]**

 _Yeah, you went on about that for a while last night. And in the three voicemails you left me before that._

 **Chloe [10:19 AM]**

 _Uh oh._

 **Chloe [10:19 AM]**

 _I was maaaaybe a little bit drunk? I was kinda nervous and Aubrey kept pouring me drinks. I think she said at some point I went out on the balcony and shouted something about how my girlfriend had won a Grammy and everyone else was a loser. I don't remember that part, though._

 **Beca [10:19 AM]**

 _Please tell me there's a video of that._

 **Chloe [10:20 AM]**

 _No?_

 **Chloe [10:20 AM]**

 _It was six in the morning over here. I didn't go to work yesterday morning because I was still drunk, Becs._

 **Chloe [10:20 AM]**

 _So don't go winning any other major award anytime soon, K? I need to avoid getting a noise complaint with the neighbors._

 **Beca [10:21 AM]**

 _God, I love you. This is gold. I'm messaging Aubrey about the video._

 **Chloe [10:22 AM]**

 _I don't like you very much right now. :( :( :(_

 **Chloe [10:22 AM]**

 _Gotta get back to work. Those photographs aren't going to print themselves. I'll see you for our Skype date tomorrow night. :) :) :)_

 **Chloe [10:22 AM]**

 _In the meantime, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing a selfie with that teddy bear your amazing and thoughtful girlfriend of yours got you._

Beca smiles and raises her phone above her head, careful to fit as much of the teddy bear as she can into the screen. She sends the picture, then curls up against it, ready to catch some much-needed sleep.

/

"Hey Beca," Beca lifts her eyes from her computer to see her assistant pop her head into the doorway of her office. "Jerry wants to have your set-list for the label's twenty-year anniversary festival."

Beca frowns, not looking up from her computer. "Already?"

"Well, it's in three weeks."

"No, it's in May," Beca says, her confusion intensifying as she clicks on her digital calendar. She's _sure_ it's in May.

Rachel shakes her head. "No, it's from April 15th through April 18th. Then you have a series of TV appearances the following week in LA and then _Coachella_."

Beca freezes.

April 15th. Chloe's birthday and David Guetta's concert. She promised Chloe she would make it.

She's the one scared about not making it through more long-distance and yet here she is, unable to go to France for her girlfriend's birthday because she didn't pay attention to the dates.

"Fuck," Beca slumps back in her chair, staring at the evidence on her computer screen as though glaring hard enough would make those four days she planned in Paris magically turn blank. Her phone chimes with a series of texts from Chloe replying to the last message she sent. She registers a bunch of happy emojis and groans. "Fuck."

Her assistant hovers in the doorway, unsure of what to do. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"No, I'll handle this."

Hours later, Beca finds herself staring at her phone as she wipes her sweaty hands on her jeans. She eventually picks it up and calls Chloe.

Chloe picks up on the third ring and Beca forgets how she planned on telling her.

" _Hi,"_

"Hey," Chloe sounds breathless. "Have you been running?"

" _No, I was, um, dancing in my living-room,"_ an awkward laugh follows. She sounds so happy and Beca hates herself for what she's about to say. _"What's up?"_

"You're gonna hate me,"

Chloe laughs lightly. _"I hardly think that's possible, Bec."_

"I, uh," Beca slams her eyes shut. "I can't come to Paris in three weeks."

" _Oh,"_ Chloe lets out. A handful of silent seconds ensue. Beca drops her head into her hand.

"There's this fucking label twenty year anniversary festival thing that I thought was in May but turns out it's in April and I'm so fucking dumb. I'm performing the two days and I'm supposed to do a bunch of interviews. I tried to explain to Jerry but he's still bitter about the stunt I pulled last summer and my contract states I have to be present for promotional events for the label and-"

" _Beca slow down, please,"_ Chloe requests softly. _"It's okay."_

"No! It's _not_ okay, I told you I would make it and I screwed up. It's your birthday and you gave me this amazing present and..." she kicks the back of the chair next to her out of spite. "Fuck."

" _It's_ _ **okay**_ _."_ Chloe repeats, but the thickness in her voice proves otherwise. _"It's just a birthday, I don't..."_ she lets out a tiny sigh. _"Of course I'm disappointed not to see you but I'll get over it. You have so much going on, it's hard to remember everything. I get it. We'll set another date."_

"My schedule is crazy after that. I barely have any free week-end and my manager is speaking about a tour and I can't tell you when that'll be, Chloe."

" _Okay, well, then I'll come see you."_ Chloe clears her throat and seems to hesitate for a beat. _"Unless... unless you don't want me to?"_

Beca isn't quite sure she heard correctly. She straightens up in her seat, eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What?"

" _I... I don't know. You're overly busy I don't want to be the overly clingy girlfriend and impose on you when you have a lot to do."_

Beca realizes her dismissal of Chloe's suggestion to find another date may have come off as though she didn't want to see her. She remembers what Chloe said about Tom and realizes she might still feel those insecurities in their relationship. "Chloe,"

" _I'm sorry. Forget I said anything. It's stupid. I, uh, it's late out here so I'll talk to you later, okay?"_

"But – "

" _Love you."_

Beca gapes at the sudden swerve in Chloe's demeanor. She doesn't know what she might have done to make Chloe believe she isn't welcome any time she wants. Not even sure the call is even still going, she reciprocates the feeling, staring at her phone long after she lowered it from her ear.

She isn't sure what happened, but she isn't about to let Chloe believe whatever she thinks is true.

Being sort of new at this whole relationship thing, it takes her a while to find the right words.

 **Beca [7:33 PM]**

 _You're not clingy. You're supportive and I love that you are. Please believe me when I say I want to see you more than anything. I didn't mean to come across as dismissive when you said we would find another time. I just don't want to make any promises that I might not be able to keep because of the ups and downs of my schedule._

 _I'll have a look at my calendar tomorrow and we can go from there?_

 _I hope we're okay. I love you, Chlo._

 _Sweet dreams, baby._

She wakes up the next morning to a message that lessens her guilt.

 **Chloe [2:55 AM]**

 _I'm sorry, I just got insecure. Of course we're okay. This long-distance is challenging but not enough to mess with us._

 _I love you, too. Have a good day and I'll see you for our Skype date night._

Beca comes home from the studio the next day because she's so sick she can's focus on anything but the pounding in her head. The hectic few weeks have taken their toll on her body to the point where she has to take a cab home from the studio because she's so weak she doesn't think she can survive a subway ride.

And no, she's not being dramatic.

 **Beca [2:21 PM]**

 _Im sick_

 **Beca [2:21 PM]**

 _Or maybe dying, idk_

Alright, maybe she's a little bit dramatic.

Beca has already dozed off by the time Chloe replies. Reaching for her phone on the bedside table is a struggle on its own.

 **Chloe [3:05 PM]**

 _Oh no. How sick? :(_

 **Beca [4:15 PM]**

 _I might not live to see the day_

 **Chloe [4:17 PM]**

 _Becs._

 **Chloe [4:17 PM]**

 _Do you have a fever?_

 **Beca [4:17 PM]**

 _My forehead feels hot. Does that count as fever? I can't tell, I'm never sick._

 **Beca [4:18 PM]**

 _My head is about to burst and it hurts when I swallow_

 **Chloe [4:18 PM]**

 _Okay, that doesn't sound too serious. Did you take cold medicine?_

 **Beca [4:18PM]**

 _I dont think we have any._

 **Chloe [4:19 PM]**

 _Seriously? Baby, you need to go buy some if you want to get some sleep!_

 **Beca [4:19 PM]**

 _Can't move_

 **Beca [4:19 PM]**

 _No skype tonight. I feel gross and sleepy. Im sorry_

 **Chloe [4:20 PM]**

 _It's okay. I'll let you rest. Call me in the morning? Love you._

Beca barely remembers falling asleep, and she sleeps until eleven the next morning to loud pounding on her door that matches the one in her head.

"You alive in there?" Stacie hollers through the door.

"Yes!" Beca tries to shout, but it comes out as more of a raspy murmur that hurts her throat than anything else.

"Let me in,"

Beca grunts and rolls off her bed, barely catching herself before she ends up on a dismembered heap on the floor. She drags herself to the door and unlocks it, not bothering with actually opening it as she shuffles back to bed.

"What do you want?" Beca whines once she's back under the covers, head angled into her pillow. She feels even grosser than the day before; her whole mouth and throat feel like sandpaper and her body is covered in cold, dried sweat.

"Chloe called me fifteen minutes ago because she was getting worried. I just thought you got hammered last night and were sleeping it off."

Stacie sets two bags on her bedside table and takes a seat on the side of the bed as Beca tries to sit up, not sure she hear correctly.

"Chloe called you?" She croaks out. "She has your number?"

"Oh yeah, we talk from time to time."

Beca frowns, immediately regretting it as the muscle twitch makes her head hurt even more. "What?"

Stacie ignores her and lies a hand on Beca's forehead. "You're running a fever."

"Chloe called you?" Beca repeats, having trouble getting past that piece of information.

Stacie hums as she unpacks the bags she brought with her. "Yeah. She asked me to buy you some cold medicine and had a chicken noodle soup delivered from your favorite place a minute ago."

Warmth spreads in Beca's chest. "Really?"

"Yeah," Stacie smiles, handing her some pills and a bottle of water. Beca takes them and swallows them, thanking Stacie quietly. "She's a keeper."

"I know," Beca says softly, with a small smile of her own playing at the corners of her lips. Stacie opens the soup container, puts a spoon into it and hands it to her. "Thanks."

They make small talk while Beca eats and once she's changed out of her damp clothes, she slips back under the covers and grabs her phone. Chloe picks up on the first tone.

" _You shouldn't joke about dying and then not picking up your phone for twenty hours, you know."_

"Can you not speak so loud, please?" she requests, rubbing two fingers over her temple. "Sorry, I just woke up."

Chloe sighs, tone dropping. _"I figured. I was just a little bit worried. How are you feeling?"_

"Like I've run a marathon."

She tries not to be too offended when Chloe snickers. Okay, so she doesn't really know what running a marathon feels like, but she figures it must be exhausting.

"Thank you for the soup, though."

" _You're welcome, baby. I wish I could do more to make you feel better."_

Beca moans from discomfort as she tries to find a position that lessens her overall body ache. "I would give a lot in exchange of cuddles, right now."

" _I'm sorry, sweetie."_

"It's not-" Beca pauses when she feels the emotion raise in her throat. "It's not your fault, Chlo."

" _I know, I just..."_ Chloe sighs then clears her throat. _"I would hop on a plane to New York if I could."_

"I know." Beca's voice dangerously wavers and she knows Chloe hears it, too.

" _Baby."_

"I'm _sorry,_ " she croaks out, screwing her eyes shut to keep the tears from falling. It doesn't work. They slide out of her eyes and seep into the pillow under her head. "I just feel like shit and I _miss_ you."

" _Don't be sorry,"_ Chloe murmurs unsteadily. The shake in her tone only makes Beca cry harder. _"I miss you, too. So much."_

Beca sniffles, burrowing herself deeper under the covers as a chill runs up her spine.

" _Can I do anything to make you feel better over the phone? Do you... do you want me to sing?"_

Beca nods.

" _Bec, baby, I know your throat is hurting but I can't see if you're nodding or not."_

"Yes. Sing, please."

" _Okay. Just close your eyes and try to relax, okay?"_ Beca does as she's told, exhaling slowly through her nose and easing up the tension in her shoulders. _"Je n'ai pas peur de la route, faudrait voir, faut qu'on y goûte, des méandres au creux des reins... Et tout ira bien. Le vent l'emportera."_

As Chloe continues to sing, Beca's tears dry and she's slowly, steadily lulled into a deep sleep.

She doesn't get up from bed the next day either, or the day after that, spending most of her time sleeping or watching stupid shows on Netflix that don't require too much attention as she's slipping in and out of slumber every fifteen minutes or so. She only chances coming out the fourth day, legs wobbly and head dizzy from being upright after so much time spent laying down, and shuffles to the kitchen.

"Hey," Jesse greets her with a pained look from his spot at the kitchen island. "You look terrible."

Beca doesn't even have the energy to glare at him or give him the finger. "Thanks."

"There's a package for you, I didn't want to wake you up, it got here an hour ago."

"Oh," Beca breathes out, making a beeline for the thick FedEx envelope resting on the counter.

She smiles when she sees Chloe's handwriting and laughs at the bunch of stickers stuck to the package that say 'EXPRESS DELIVERY' and 'INTERNATIONAL PRIORITY'. She can imagine Chloe making a scene in the store and pay the maximum price to have this delivered at soon as possible, as though her life depended on it.

Ripping the envelope open, Beca fishes out the contents one by one to lay them out on the counter:

A pack of tissues with a sticker that says _for your nose._

A bag of honey and lemon Ricolas with one that says _for your throat._

A homemade coupon for a _Free massage with the one and only Chloe Beale_ the next time they see each other.

Beca laughs as she drags out the last item, tears pooling in her eyes the second she realizes what it is.

Chloe's light summer scarf, bundled up in a ball to take less room, with a sticker that says _for your heart 3_

Beca lifts it to her face and breathes in Chloe's scent, closing her eyes briefly. She's suddenly in Paris, in Chloe's apartment, in Chloe's arms and everything is alright in the world again.

The imaginary soon breaks when Beca's bubble pops. She's still in rainy and gloomy New York City, her bed is achingly empty and Chloe's sunshine is nowhere within reach. Beca weakly attempts to get a hold of the emotions raising in her chest, but her resolve has already crumbled.

Her upper body starts to shake with sobs that make her throat so painful that she doubles over, clinging onto the counter edge as she gasps for breaths.

"Hey, hey," Jesse appears by her side and coaxes into a soothing embrace. "Breathe through it, Bec."

"I'm sorry," she says after a while, pulling away. Jesse's shirt is soaked with tears and probably some snot but he doesn't make a face at how gross it is. She dips her head down to pad at her wet cheeks, feeling the embarrassment of breaking-down for stupid reasons creep up on her. "I don't know what's going on with me."

"You miss her," Jesse supplies with a sad smile, squeezing her forearms. "And you feel like shit. Don't beat yourself up. Long distance relationships are hard, especially when you feel down."

"Have you ever been in one?" Beca asks quietly, leaning back against the counter and glancing up at Jesse, who sighs and rubs the back of his neck.

"Once. After the two of us broke up and before I moved out here. She lived in Seattle and I was still in LA."

Beca gapes. She's never heard about this. "How long did it last?"

"About a year," Jesse shrugs, burying his hands into his pockets. "But what we had was nothing compared to what you have with Chloe."

Sniffling, Beca wraps her arms around her frame as she rests back against the counter. "Do you- do you think love is enough to last years with thousands of miles between two people?"

Jesse mimics her posture, remaining silent for a little while as he thinks. "I do. The love you guys have for each other, it's... inspiring and it gives me faith that someday I'll find that person that makes me smile and laugh the way Chloe does for you."

"God, I was so stupid." Beca groans, burying her face into her hands.

"Oh no, what did you do?"

"I asked her to move to New York."

Jesse's eyebrows fly up as he stares at her incredulously. "What?"

Beca wonders how she ever thought it was a good idea. Clearly, it's obvious to anyone else that it was the dumbest thing she could do. "Not like, _tomorrow._ I asked her if she saw herself moving to New York someday."

"Okay," Jesse pauses for a few seconds. "What did Chloe say?"

"She said someday, maybe. I don't know what I was expecting but I obviously looked crushed and she said that we had barely been together for a year and that it was too soon to think about it and she's right, of course she's right, I just..."

Beca reaches out to catch the new round of tears welling up in her eyes.

"I don't know how long I can keep going like that. Seeing each other only every three or four months is harder than I thought and now I fucked up with some dates and I won't be there for her birthday when I promised I would and... I'm fucking useless and I don't feel like I have the backbone for this."

"You do," Jesse says firmly, confidently. "You do, otherwise you wouldn't have lasted all this time already."

Beca nods, the words passing through her like a ghost, through her doubts and smothering anxiety, barely nudging them from their concrete base in Beca's chest.

"Beca, do you see yourself with anyone else than Chloe? Let's say you met someone here, that lives two blocks away. Someone you find attractive and that fits with your expectations in a significant other."

"No."

"And you trust Chloe, right?"

"Yeah, of course I do."

"Then you have to be patient. You guys will work something out, I'm positive. Your love is not the kind of love you just give up like that. And when you do get to live together after so much time going back and forth, you'll survive anything because of the invisible, bulletproof bond you've developed over the years apart."

Beca draws in a deep breath and nods. "Yeah."

Jesse reaches over to squeeze her shoulder. "Just so you know, past the whole teasing and stuff, Stacie and I are very happy you found someone like Chloe."

Beca smiles through her teary features. "Thanks."

Jesse smiles back and kisses her hair before leaving the room. Beca dries her cheeks, sends a message to Chloe to thank her for the package and since it's a Saturday, Chloe calls her on Skype and they spend the day together virtually, Beca drifting in and out of sleep while Chloe touches up photos on her computer.

It's not ideal, and she wishes Chloe were here to cuddle with her, but it's still something.

 _/_

" _Hi,"_

Beca grins upon hearing her girlfriend's voice; "Happy birthday, Chlo."

" _Thank you baby,"_ Chloe replies, fondness evident in her tone. Beca knew her day would be hectic as it happens to be the launching of the festival, and set up several alarms on her phone to remind herself to take at least five minutes to call Chloe.

She locked herself in her dressing room, threatening anyone who even so much as knocked on the door that it would be their last day working for her.

"Did you receive my present?"

" _Um, no not yet."_

Beca straightens from her slumped position on the couch. "What? It was supposed to arrive yesterday!"

" _Maybe it will arrive later today. Don't worry, Bec. I'm just glad I get to talk to you."_

Beca sighs heavily. "I wish I was in Paris right now."

" _Me, too. I miss you."_

"I was saying that for Guetta, but I guess I miss you, too."

" _Sure,"_ Chloe deadpans like she doesn't believe her for a second. Beca can't blame her. _"How's the festival going? What are you up to right now?"_

"I'm in my dressing room. Make-up team is supposed to arrive in a little while."

Chloe hums. Beca can hear her say something in English to someone in the background and frowns.

"Where are _you_?"

" _Hanging out with Aubrey,"_ that explains the English thing. _"We've just gone lingerie shopping at Galleries La Fayette."_

Beca groans, dropping her head against the back of the couch. "Seriously? Now I'm going to have to go through the whole day picturing you in expensive lingerie? Not cool, Chlo."

She knows Chloe is smiling wickedly. _"Do you want a sneak peek?"_

Beca glances at her watch. She should definitely say no, because it's bound to leave her all hot and bothered and she doesn't have time to... take care of herself.

"Please."

" _Just give me a sec,"_ Beca's eyes widen as she hears shuffling, and wonders if Chloe is actually undressing herself. A vibration tells her she has a new message, so she pulls the phone away from her ear to look at the picture Chloe sent her.

It's not lingerie. It's leather. Leather and a generous cleavage that has Beca take a deep, collecting breath, both to lower her body temperature but also to fill her lungs after failing to properly draw air in them during the good twenty seconds she spent studying that sin of a picture.

"Fucking hell, Chlo." She breathes out, nearly fanning herself. "Is that what I think it is?"

Chloe only giggles in response. _"Wouldn't you like to know?"_

That's all Beca needs to hear to know it _is_. "You're killing me, Beale."

" _I'll make it up to you next time, I promise."_

Next time. They have yet to find when that next time will be. Right now, their schedule are conflicting and it doesn't look like it's going to be anytime soon. Beca bites her tongue to ask the question; she feels like the bad cop in the relationship, always the one to bring up the sour subject back on the table.

"I'll hold you to that," a knock on the door has her snap her gaze up. "What the actual fuck."

" _What?"_

"I told everyone to give me five minutes alone so I could call you and someone is fucking knocking. Hold on one sec while I give them a piece of my mind."

Pulling the phone away from her ear, Beca switches the call to mute and springs up from the couch, ready to tell whoever is at the door to go fuck themselves. When she pulls the door open however, she falters upon seeing her girlfriend on the other side.

Her heart stops for a few beats, she's sure of it. She blinks twice in slow succession to make sure Chloe isn't a figment of her imagination and is indeed standing a few feet away.

"What...?"

Chloe nibbles on her bottom lip to restrain her beaming smile. "Is that how you give people a piece of your mind?"

"You're an idiot," she wraps an arm around Chloe's waist to tug her inside the room, nudging the door shut with her foot. Soft and warm lips bump against hers in a heated, frantic kiss that leaves them both breathless. Beca doesn't care about how Chloe managed to get backstage (she guesses it has something to do with those irresistible puppy-dog eyes she's all too familiar with) and kisses her harder, drawing a breathy moan from Chloe. " _Man_ , I love you."

Chloe whimpers into the kiss, cupping Beca's cheeks with both hands as she starts backing her up towards the couch.

After bumping into the coffee table and hissing a curse, Beca eventually falls backward on the smooth velvety surface, her hands holding Chloe's sides as Chloe climbs up to straddle her thighs, their lip-lock remaining uninterrupted through the motions.

"Is that going to become a thing?" Beca pants out as Chloe's deft fingers work on unbuttoning her shirt. "Showing up unannounced at the other's workplace and having sex?" She smirks and lets her hands roam under Chloe's top. It's not leather, but she knows Chloe _had_ to pack that bodysuit. "Cause I fucking dig it."

Another knock at the door makes them freeze and a second later, Beca grunts at the realization that her five minutes are up. She drops her forehead to Chloe's heaving chest, trying to control her erratic breathing and button her shirt at the same time.

"That's my make-up team," she whispers, lifting her head and pecking Chloe's lips. "To be continued."

With a soft sigh, Chloe moves off her lap to drop beside her. She catches Beca's hand, pulling her back before she can stand up to go answer the door.

"Hold on, babe," she says upon catching Beca's look of confusion. Her thumb swipes over Beca's bottom lip, presumably to wipe off her own lipstick. "All good. Should I wait for you at your place?"

Beca shakes her head, leaning over to kiss Chloe again, lipstick be damned. She feels intoxicated and her mind is already reeling with anticipation of getting to be with Chloe after her show.

"Stay?"

Chloe nods faintly, tongue darting out to run over her perfect lips. "Okay."

They catch up while Beca is being prodded by her make-up artist and hair stylist, two people who have become her friends over the years spent working together. Beca catches them smiling discreetly as Chloe entertains everyone in the room with her bubbly energy.

When they are done, they leave the room so that Beca can go through her vocal warm-ups.

"You look hot," Chloe assesses with a smirk. "You and plaid..."

She falls silent, the slow rake of her eyes over Beca's body making it tingle in prospect of later activities.

Beca had never been one for sexy clothes when she's performing, she's much more at ease in form-fitting jeans and one of her signature plaid shirts. "Yeah?"

"Totes." Humming, Chloe stands from her spot on the couch and places both hands on Beca's hips. "I'd rather be watching you perform than David Guetta."

Beca arches an eyebrow at that.

"Thanks," Beca steps closer, eyes fleeting from Chloe's, down to her lips. "And, uh, what about that, um, that bodysuit?"

"It's in my suitcase."

Beca makes a show of staggering back, drawing a giggle from Chloe's mouth. "Dayum."

Chloe simply wiggles her eyebrows and kisses her on the cheek. "I'll let you warm up. See you out there, babe."

/

Beca manages to keep the last interview of the day short so she can take Chloe out to eat dinner.

She makes a call ahead to her favorite restaurant, managing to snag a table for two even though the place is usually booked months in advance. One of the perks of being famous, she supposes, it that she is able to treat her girlfriend to a very nice dinner on her birthday, even on such short notice.

"I'm sorry your birthday present is on the other side of the ocean and I don't have anything to give you tonight," Beca says quietly on their walk home.

"Are you kidding?" Chloe lets out a stunned laugh. She tugs on their joined hands to stop Beca. "Tonight was amazing. Watching you perform and going out for dinner and just spending quality time with you." She leans in to kiss Beca gently. "I'll open your present when I get back, and it'll just make my birthday last longer."

"When is that?" Beca clears her throat and briefly breaks eye contact to look down at the scuff of her shoes. She can't help it; as happy as she is to see Chloe, and it's an incredible amount, there's always that gloomy rational thought inside her head that tints their moments together with bitterness. "You going back?"

Chloe looks slightly surprised by the switch in demeanor. "I haven't bought my return ticket, yet. I have someone handling the galleries in France, so it depends on you and your schedule, and how long you want me here."

"Will you come to _Coachella_ with me?" she asks, bypassing the question before she puts her foot into her mouth. "I can have a press pass requested for you and you can hang out backstage and come to parties."

"You're selling it like I actually need convincing to come," Chloe laughs and leans over to kiss her cheek. "You had me at the 'with me' part, Becs."

"Oh," Beca flushes lightly as unexpected warmth rushes through her. "Good."

Chloe tugs on her hand to break their walk and swiftly cups her cheek to draw her in a kiss that resonates all the way down to the tip of Beca's toes.

"Let's go home," She whispers through a shaky exhale, darkened eyes making Beca gulp. "I didn't pack that bodysuit for it to stay in my suitcase."

Beca's shoulder shake through a shudder. "Yeah, we're done walking. Let's take a cab home."

/

"So this is where the magic happens?" Chloe asks as she steps closer, stopping once she's standing in front of the glass separating the recording booth from the control room.

"Yeah," Beca says, hands slipping into her pockets as she leans against the door frame, content to just hang back and watch Chloe take it all in.

She's not performing until late tonight so, after an early morning spent lazing in bed (read: recuperating from the night before), Beca took Chloe to the studio. With the label festival going on uptown and it being a Sunday, the space is completely empty.

Chloe turns around, bottom lip trapped between her teeth to reign in her beaming smile. "This is so cool."

"Wanna listen to a top-secret project?" Beca asks as she steps further into the room.

Chloe lets out a tiny squeal that she clearly tries to get a hold of, and Beca can't help but laugh endearingly. She knows she would have hearts coming out of her eyes if she were a cartoon character each time she looks at Chloe.

"Is that even a valid question?"

Beca smiles and rolls the second chair in the space next to the one in front of her laptop. She sits down and pats the seat next to her for Chloe. "Come on, then."

She fires up her laptop as Chlos sinks in the chair next to Beca's.

"I'm doing a collab with Ed Sheeran and we've just finished mastering it last week." She explains as she clicks away on her laptop, feeling Chloe's excitement buzzing off her body. Maybe taking her to _Coachella_ is a bad idea; Beca is afraid her girlfriend might have an episode while meeting some of the singers over there.

She almost had one herself when she opened for _Mumford & Sons_ a few years ago.

"Ed Sheeran? Seriously?"

"Yeah. He's awesome."

Chloe's hand flies to her chest as she blows out a breath. "Oh thank God. I think I would have a meltdown if I learned he was an asshole."

Beca rolls her eyes at Chloe's dramatics. "Nah, he's super cool. I can introduce you when we get to _Coachella_."

Chloe gasps and her eyes get so wide Beca is concerned they might pop out of their sockets. "He's gonna be there? Ed Sheeran?"

Beca chuckles. "Yeah. I'll introduce you. If you promise not to have a stroke, that is."

"I don't know, it's Ed _Sheeran_."

Beca raises an amused eyebrow. "I don't know if I want you to meet him, now. I feel like you're going to ditch me for him."

"Never," Chloe assures her quickly, leaning over to drape her arm over her shoulders. "You're my favorite musician. Besides, you wrote a song for me, so I feel like I have to keep dating you, ya know?"

"Gee, thanks," Beca grumbles, lips thinning out into a scold as Chloe's other arm comes up around the neck. She's leaning so far out of her chair, Beca thinks she might tip over.

"You're so easy." She husks out into Beca's ear, pressing her lips to Beca's cheek.

"I obviously knew you were joking," Beca mumbles with another eyeroll. She turns back to her computer and Chloe's arms fall back by her sides. "Now you wanna listen to this or keep praising Sheeran?"

Chloe moves into her lap swiftly and kisses her soundly. Beca's hands naturally fall to the curve of her waist. "Listen to you, all jealous for no reason."

Beca huffs in a childish manner. "Take a look in the mirror and you'll understand why. You're like, gorgeous, and talented and-"

"Very much in love with my girlfriend." Chloe finishes for her, looping her arms around her neck once more. "A la folie, remember?"

Beca nods, dipping in for another, longer kiss. "I remember."

Everything single declaration of love Chloe has ever murmured into her ear is imprinted forever, somewhere halfway between her heart and mind.

"As much as I want to hear this top secret project, I'd like to see you in action first."

"You saw me in action yesterday. And this morning." She replies cheekily without missing a beat. "Hopefully it was good enough to remember."

"You're hilarious." Chloe deapands. "I meant mixing."

"Sure." Beca clears her throat and nods. When Chloe shows no sign of standing up, she gives her pointed look. "Are you going to move?"

"Nope." She replies childishly.

"Alright, then." Beca rolls her chair closer to the table and drapes an arm over Chloe's thighs to reach her keyboard.

She opens up her old mixes folder, the ones she made when she was still a nobody in the industry. Strangely, they are the ones she's the most attached to, as it's through them she discovered the unparalleled thrill making music gave her.

She's struck with the realization that she hasn't shared them with anybody in her personal life before, but pushes through her insecurities before she can change her mind.

It's _Chloe_.

In hindsight, the thought is both reassuring and nerve-wracking.

She settles for an upbeat mix and double-clicks on the _Bulletproof + Titanium_ one, dragging it to the mixing program window.

"This is, um, one of my first mixes, actually," Beca admits as it loads, resting her now unoccupied hand on Chloe's knee. She looks at Chloe, her lips curving into a bashful smile. "Made it when I was seventeen, it took me probably... forty hours until I was happy with the result. I remember this indescribable rush I got when I listened to the finished draft and knew that's what I wanted to do with my life; make music."

"Can I listen to it before you show me how to mix?" Chloe asks cautiously, because of course she senses Beca's self-consciousness and doesn't want to be blunt about it.

"Of course."

Beca grabs her headphones and carefully sets them over Chloe's ears, not resisting brushing a strand of loose hair back behind her ear. She can't tear her eyes off Chloe as she listens to the song, ready to catch any twitch of the brow or pinch of the lips that might indicate Chloe doesn't like it.

"This was your first mix?" Chloe asks as she lowers Beca's headphones so that they now hang around her neck, a blend of awe and surprise weighing down her tone. Beca discreetly breathes out in relief.

"One of them, yeah."

"It's really good. And I'm not saying that because Titanium is my favorite song. You clearly were made for this."

Beca smiles, not really knowing what to say. Chloe nudges her.

"Come on, show me,"

"Okay, okay." She refocuses and spends a handful of minutes showing Chloe how to balance sound frequencies and master song fade-outs.

"Isn't it weird that Titanium is my favorite song out there and it happened to be the one you used for your first mix?" Chloe asks after a while.

Beca grunts when she catches the look in Chloe's eyes. "You're going to say some cheesy stuff about us being soulmates, aren't you?"

Chloe grins sheepishly. "How'd you know?"

"You seem like the type of person who believes in destiny." Beca says softly, running her palm up and down Chloe's jean-clad thigh. "Am I wrong?"

"I guess I do, to some extent. You don't?"

Beca shrugs. "I've never really given it too much thought. I don't think I believe that everything that happens in one's life is written down before it has even unfolded. I don't think it was written down that I would travel to Paris on that day and decide to get coffee in that specific café. I do believe in luck, unpredictability and coincidences, however." She muses, sliding her fingers through the spaces between Chloe's. "How you happened to step out into the street the moment I happened to walk in. A very happy coincidence that changed my life."

"I like that version of the story." Chloe murmurs after a beat, squeezing Beca's fingers. "Teach me more about mixing."

Beca shows Chloe other simple things and lets her try it out. They forget about their plans of strolling around in Manhattan and spend the whole day in the studio, Beca eventually prompting Chloe to record a song. It's something she has wanted to do ever since she heard Chloe sing in her kitchen that first night together.

"Really?" Chloe asks, eyes lightening up like a child's (or her own, actually) on Christmas morning.

Beca nods simply in response, nudging Chloe with her thighs for her to get up. "What do you want to sing?"

Chloe grins at her cheekily after standing up, and Beca rolls her eyes. "Of course you do. Let me pull up the instrumental, first."

"Can I play?"

Beca's eyes follow Chloe's line of gaze to set on the piano, before snapping back to Chloe. "You play the piano?"

Chloe nods and Beca wants to laugh, because of course she does. She really doesn't know when that girl will cease to amaze her.

"I thought being a figure ice-skater was the only other talent you could think about?" she lightly accuses as she stands up, tugging Chloe to the other side of the glass. Chloe sits on the bench and runs her fingers over the keys.

"I'm _not_ a figure ice-skater. I'm just better than you," Beca's jaw drops but Chloe's giggle makes any comeback vanish, because Chloe is _that_ cute. "Besides, I haven't played in a long time so I might be rusty."

Beca knows she'll be playing perfectly, because Chloe is good at anything she undertakes. She walks behind Chloe to adjust the microphone to her level and lets her practice on the piano a little bit at she sets up the recording tools.

As she hears Chloe play several pieces on the piano in order to get familiarized with the instrument, Beca knows her theory was right and she knows she won't come out of this unscathed.

"You ready to go, Ms. _I might be a little rusty but clearly not_?" she asks, popping back into the doorway between the two rooms.

Chloe laughs and nods, gathering her hair over one shoulder. "Sing the chorus with me?"

Beca clears her throat and nods, grabbing the remote to start the recording from a distance. She closes the door between the control room and the booth, then pads to the bench, sliding in beside Chloe.

Beca finds herself needing to take a deep breath when Chloe first starts to sing, if she wants to make through the whole song. Too enthralled in watching Chloe pour out the lyrics, Beca almost forgets to jump in for the chorus.

That's when her breathing stops from reaching her lungs all together. Their voices are so different, Chloe's less powerful than Beca's but with a soothing timbre to it that Beca's lacks. Yet, they harmonize so well, just like their fingers fit perfectly together when they hold each other's hands, or how their bodies move in flawless sync when they make love.

 _Titanium_ is a song Beca knows like the back of her hand, but she nearly forgets the lyrics when Chloe looks at her, seemingly as surprised at how good they sound.

She loses herself in the dazzling blue of Chloe's eyes and the tingling of her own body as their invisible bond grows stronger, and neither of them dares breaking it for the rest of the song. The lyrics ring low and thick in the air, echoing throughout Beca's soul.

As Chloe finishes, the vibrations of the piano notes fade away, vanishing into the heavy silence. Beca blinks just as Chloe leans in, gently cupping the back of Beca's neck to have their lips meet in a soft kiss.

"We sound pretty good together," Chloe speaks the words Beca has been thinking of since that first chorus, but her voice is still out of reach, buried somewhere under the tangled web of emotions seizing her heart. Chloe smiles and kisses the corner of her mouth. "Could I have that recording?"

"Y-yeah. Of course." Beca clears her throat and rises to her feet, extending a hand to Chloe to help her up. Minutes later, she's handing the USB key to Chloe. "My other mixes are on there as well."

Chloe blinks from her spot in the chair next to her, looking down at the device in her palm, then back up at Beca. "All of them?"

Beca shrugs. "Yeah."

She doesn't know if her self-consciousness about sharing her old mixes is written all over her features, but Chloe does a double-take. "Are you sure? You're comfortable with me listening to them?"

Beca nods, reaching out to close Chloe's fingers around the key before she changes her mind. "Yes."

Chloe is pulling her in a warm embrace a second later, as though Beca had gotten her the best gift imaginable on earth.

"Thank you."

Beca smiles and kisses her sweetly, just before her eyes catch a glimpse of the streetlight out the window of her office. So wrapped up in their bubble, they lost track of time.

"Sorry we didn't get to see much of the city this time around."

"Are you kidding?" Chloe says with a grin. "I had the _best_ day."

"I'm glad." Beca kisses her again, for no particular reason other than wanting to. "Wanna get take-out and chill at home?"

"In need of your cuddle fix?" Chloe asks, the hints of a smirk playing at her lips.

Beca doesn't have it in her to roll her eyes, she's a sucker for Chloe's cuddles. "Busted."

/

They fly to LA together (and tick off one item from Chloe's bucket list on the plane while they are at it), Chloe either going on a hunt for pictures once they get there, or hanging out backstage while Beca attends a series of talk-shows.

 _Coachella_ is one crazy experience. Beca has never really performed in festivals and she quickly falls in love with the atmosphere. She only performs on the first night, but they hang out there for the remainder of the week-end as Chloe gets hooked to shooting photos of different performers from both backstage and out into the crowd.

As promised, they attend parties where Chloe meets some of her favorite artists, and Beca can tell she's trying hard to reign in her inner fan girl.

"Your drink looked empty," Beca twists her head to find Ed Sheeran standing next her with a beer extended towards her.

Beca takes it with a quiet thank you. She had been watching Chloe animatedly talk to Janelle Monae, who seemed to be hanging on each one of Chloe's words, not that Beca was surprised.

She had been there, she had done that.

"She's a gem," Ed says, and Beca hums absentmindedly, glancing away from Chloe only to realize she is the one he's referring to.

Beca smiles, picking at the label of her bottle with her thumb. As though sensing they are talking about her, Chloe glances their way and sends Beca a wink.

"Trust me, I know."

"Alright, I'm heading back to the hotel." He says, squeezing her arm lightly. It's the last night of the festival and Beca knows they won't see each other for a while, so she leans in for a quick hug. "Take care. I'll be waiting for the wedding invite."

Beca flushes and shoves him as he laughs and walks away. Before she can ponder on what he said, slender arms wraps around her waist from behind and her body is pulled against Chloe's warm one.

"Love you," Chloe husks out in her ear, nuzzling her neck. "Just thought I would let you know."

Chuckling, Beca turns around and drapes an arm over Chloe's shoulders. She can tell from the glint in Chloe's eyes that she's slightly inebriated. "Hm. I thought you were going to proclaim your love to Janelle there, for a sec."

"Oh, I did." Chloe assures her with a firm nod. "Platonic love. While she's hot and _awfully_ nice, I prefer my grumpy little bad-ass of a musician."

"Oh you do, do you?" Beca teases, leaning up for a quick kiss. Chloe makes a sound from low in her throat and pursues Beca's lips for another kiss, one that leaves Beca slightly breathless. "Done enough fan girling for today? 'Cause I would really like to take you back to our hotel room and have you all to myself."

"That's a plan I could be down with," Chloe whispers, glazed-over eyes fluttering up to Beca's. Beca feels fire race down her spine at the pure lust gazing back at her.

Next thing she knows, she is pulling on Chloe's hand towards the exit. "Let's go."

/

"Whatcha doing?" Beca asks as she comes out of their hotel room bathroom, toweling her wet hair dry after her shower. Chloe is sat on the bed with her back propped against the headboard, her computer open and balanced on her thighs, glasses sitting on her eyes.

Chloe's eyes lift briefly above the computer screen to look at Beca. "Going through photos from this week-end."

Beca pads to the bed and lies down beside Chloe, sliding an arm under Chloe's to drape it over her stomach and resting her head over her shoulder.

"I like this one," Beca murmurs after a while, pointing to a picture of Beyoncé that Chloe just scrolled past. Chloe hums with no particular hint as to how she feels about it.

"Do you wanna see my favorite one of the week?" she asks instead, lightly turning her head to glance at Beca.

"Obviously."

She watches as Chloe closes the file she was scrolling through to open another one entitled _B_. "You've got a specific files for my pictures?"

"Um, yeah," Chloe pauses to watch the side of her face and Beca notices a faint blush covering her cheeks. "I've never realized how creepy that is, until now."

"No, no." Beca is quick to counter. "I wrote a song about you. I think we've both reached the same level of creepy."

Chloe giggles and kisses the crown of her head. Beca decides to withhold the fact that she has a folder dedicated to Chloe on her phone.

"It's mostly to store the pictures that I keep just for us because I think they're too intimate or important to share with anyone else."

Lips curving into a small smile, they brush against Chloe's in a light kiss. "Now show me my picture."

"Right," Chloe scrolls some more until she gets to the file she's looking for and angles the computer towards Beca.

It's a black and white photograph from Beca's first performance at _Coachella_. She's standing backstage, her head bowed, face barely showing under the hair curtaining it. One of her hands is by her side, gripping the microphone, while the other one rests over her chest.

Like each time right before she steps onto the stage, Beca takes a moment to herself to channel her energy, focusing on the rhythm of her heartbeat rather than on the noise of the crowd.

It's something she has done ever since her very first performance, when she was twenty-three and had no idea what she was doing. Her nerves had been so bad that she wasn't sure she was going to be able to sing in front those thousands of fans screaming her name without fainting, first.

This ritual has become her lifeline over the years, a mandatory minute to herself before every concert, appearance in talk-shows or album signing.

"Why is it your favorite?" Beca wonders, curious to see if her emotions are as see-through as Chloe makes them out to be.

"Other than the fact that it's a picture of you, you mean?" Chloe says with a cheeky grin that has Beca roll her eyes. Chloe kisses her quickly, eyes flitting back to the picture. "I like it because I'm proud of the composition and the technical aspect, especially when stage photos aren't really my specialty. I think the light and shadow game is really compelling and gives anyone that comes across it a good idea of how thick the atmosphere is. But what I love about it is your posture and how much it tells about what is going on through your mind. Like you're seeking for something to lean onto a midst the madness and it looks like you found it, within yourself."

Beca hums. She sometimes still finds herself intimidated by how well Chloe is able to read her.

"I really like it," she muses, twisting her head to brush a kiss over Chloe's shoulder. "Do you mind if I post it on Instagram? My publicist has been bugging me about posting more stuff about performances, to connect with the fans, or something."

"Of course. Why don't you send it to yourself while I take a quick shower," Chloe says, passing the computer over to Beca. "Take as many as you like."

"Okay. Want me to order take-out?" Beca asks as Chloe gathers her shower stuff from the vanity in the corner of the room.

"Sure. Choose whatever you want."

After ordering a pepperoni pizza and a few beers over the phone, Beca clicks on Chloe's open browser to log into her email account and send the pictures to herself. She pauses however when her eyes involuntarily run over the title of a long e-mail opened in Chloe's inbox.

Chloe pops back into the room a second later, still clad in her t shirt and shorts as she moves to the chair to get the item she presumably forgot. "What are we eating?"

Beca ignores her question. "You won a two-month photography internship with one of your favorite photographers this summer?"

Chloe's arms drop to her side as she freezes by the end of the bed. "You read my e-mails?"

"Not on purpose, it was open when I went to log on mine." Beca explains quickly, sitting up with the laptop still resting on her thighs. "That's amazing, Chlo. You should be ecstatic."

"I... I turned it down," Chloe says with a faint shrug, eyes fastening on the carpet as she sets her toiletries bag down.

"What? Why?"

Chloe glances up. "I'm supposed to spend the summer in New York and the internship is in France."

Beca's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Okay, but this is a lifetime opportunity, Chloe."

"I know that," Chloe admits with a sigh, climbing on the mattress and sitting back on her heels. She starts picking at a loose thread of the comforter. "I just... I got scared."

Beca puts the computer to the side and shuffles to the edge of the bed to sit next to her. She tilts her head to the side, attempting to chase Chloe's fleeting gaze. "Scared about what?"

There's a long pause during which Chloe seems to be debating whether to say it or not.

"Hey," Beca murmurs, laying a comforting hand over Chloe's knee. "Please talk to me."

Chloe worries her bottom lip between her teeth. "I... I'm afraid that, if we don't spend the summer together like I said we would... we might – we might break-up."

Beca gapes wordlessly as she stares at Chloe, features frozen in a heavy frown. "What?"

Chloe clears her throat and meets her eyes with uncharacteristic timidness. "You're having doubts about us and it's scaring me."

Beca attempts not to feel too offended but recoils nonetheless at the accusation. "What? No, I'm not."

"You don't think I can tell?" A humorless laugh leaves Chloe's lips as her eyes roll towards the ceiling in was looks like disbelief. "Ever since that conversation about our future back in Paris, I feel like our relationship has been hanging by a thread and that any misstep might drive it into the ground."

Beca blinks. "That's – that's not true."

"It's not?" Chloe counters. "Then tell me that if I did take that internship, meaning that we would not see each other for another four months because of how busy we both are, we'd be _absolutely_ fine. That you wouldn't ask yourself a million questions about whether or not we should continue this."

Beca can't answer that; she has been asking herself these questions for a while now, despite her conversation with Jesse or how much she knows Chloe loves her. She just doesn't feel strong enough. She doesn't know if it has anything to do with her dad, but she needs stability. She needs to have a clear view of the road ahead, before she launches into something that might end up with her heart getting trampled once more.

Her silence and bowed head are enough of an unspoken answer and Chloe's sad smile upon it makes her heart ache terribly.

"You're already asking yourself that, aren't you? If we should – if we should continue this."

"I..." Beca lets out a frustrated sigh, her hand leaving Chloe's leg to drop in her own lap. She can't keep pretending. "Yes. Maybe."

"Oh my god," Chloe lets out under her breath, voice barely audible over the millions of thoughts that must be seizing her brain all at once.

"I don't _want_ to feel that way," Beca rushes out, trying to reach for Chloe, but Chloe is up on her feet before she can, soon starting to pace back and forth from the bathroom door to the window. "I don't!"

"It's easy not to if you try hard enough, Beca," Chloe's tone has dropped to an uncharacteristically cold timbre, rattling Beca from the inside. "Unlike you, _I_ believe in us."

Beca blows out a breath to try to keep her itching anger in check. "That's rich, Chlo."

Chloe whirls around with fire spitting from her usually gentle and kind blue eyes. " _Excuse me?_ "

"You said we would figure it out but we _haven't_ figured anything out Chloe. And I believed you and your faith in us but how much time exactly do you expect us to go by like this without any deadline? _Years?_ "

Beca draws in some air and closes her eyes for a beat to try and calm down. She doesn't want to fight. This week with Chloe has been amazing and she feels like she's ruining it for the both of them.

"I'm..." Beca pinches the bridge of her nose as she attempts to weigh her words. "I'm being realistic, _not_ doubting my love for you or your love for me."

Beca didn't realize Chloe had started crying until Chloe twists her head to glare at her through her tears.

"I think you are, if you feel like this..." she motions between the two of them with her pointer finger. "...is not worth the hard times and the struggles."

Chloe's words sting as much as a slap to the face. Attempts to avoid the fight waiting to happen are thrown out the window as the anger Beca has managed to tame down comes back full force.

"That's not fucking fair, Chloe." She retorted, body stiffing with a mixture of negative feelings that she never expected or _wanted_ to ever feel towards Chloe. "You know I want us to be together, but I feel like I'm the only one trying to come up with solutions."

"Solutions!" Chloe cries out, eyes wide in what looks like bewilderment. "Your 'solution' was for me to move to New York. To leave everything I built for all these years to move across the ocean when we haven't been together a year, when we haven't even had our first _fight_."

"I never said that." Beca hisses, her irritation stepping down a notch when she realizes how bitter Chloe's words feel; how they are having their first fight right now and how it's bound to be a big one. "I never asked you to give up on your galleries, and I never asked you to move out here overnight, don't go put words into my mouth, Chloe. I'm just trying to figure it out. When I first left Paris and we decided to give this a try, you said we would make it simple. This is anything but simple, Chlo."

Chloe sweeps at her cheeks angrily, teeth grinding together. "So it's my fault, now?"

"No," Beca groans in frustration, digging her nails into her palms. "I didn't say that."

"Right."

"I would move to Paris if I could, but it's not that simple. I have a contract and-"

"You can't leave the States." Chloe finishes off for her, eyes locking on the floor once more as her shoulders drop. From disappointment or resignation, Beca doesn't know. "You've said that. I get it."

She walks to her side of the bed and shrugs on the sweater haphazardly thrown on the floor in their haste to be with each other a mere hour earlier. Slipping her feet into her flip-flops Chloe has already grasped the key-card by the time Beca realizes what she's doing.

"That's it?" Beca asks, louder and harsher than she meant it. "You're just - you're just going to walk away?"

Chloe pauses with her hand on the door-knob and turns back towards her, sniffling. "I-I need to be on my own for a little while. I'll be back later."

Beca spends the next ten minutes pacing back and forth from the foot of the bed, trying to pinpoint how such a perfect week tipped into a nightmare over an email. After chewing on every single one of her nails, Beca puts some shoes on and runs down the stairs towards the exit.

She finds Chloe sitting on a bench by the side of the entrance, smoking a cigarette. Her eyes are puffy and bloodshot and Beca's spite seeps out of her all at once upon seeing her so distressed. Pushing against her own tears, she clears her throat not to scare Chloe. Chloe looks over her shoulder, meeting Beca's eyes with an unreadable expression that makes Beca's heart squeeze painfully in her chest.

"Can I – can I sit down?" she asks tentatively, relieved when Chloe gives her a short nod. She sits down on the bench, leaving a little bit of space between them, her hand falling to rest just beside Chloe's on the wooden surface. Chloe has time to take a few drags and puff out the smoke towards the moody sky before Beca can gather up her courage to speak. "I'm sorry."

Out of the corner of her eyes, she notes Chloe's shoulders easing the tension. She feels Chloe's hand inch towards her, her pinkie and ring finger covering her own in a form of a white flag. "I'm sorry, too."

"I love you." Beca murmurs so quietly she isn't sure it reaches Chloe's ears. "I hope you know that."

"I do. And I love you, too." She hears Chloe take a deep, collecting breath before she twists her head to stare at the side of Beca's face. "I don't want to fight. This week was perfect and... I hate to end it on a bad note."

"Me, too."

"But?"

Beca clears her throat, meeting Chloe's eyes. "I don't know how much more goodbyes I can take, especially when it's all so blurry ahead. Can you see yourself go on for months like this? For _years_?"

Chloe's own silence is heavy and crushing Beca's chest with an invisible weight.

"I don't know."

Tears prick behind Beca's eyes. She wills her voice to remain steady through what she's about to say. "You need to take that internship. It's a lifetime opportunity and I'll keep you you from flying to NYC this summer if I have to. Nothing should stand in the way of your dream."

"I know but – " Chloe closes her eyes briefly, the muscle in her jaw twisting. "What about us?"

"I don't know." Beca echoes quietly, slipping her hand into Chloe's. "I wish I could say we'll figure something out but I guess it's not as simple as I thought."

"I can – I can make arrangements to move out here, it's – I love New York and opening a gallery there could be successful, I'd just need to ask for a loan or – "

"Chloe," Beca interrupts softly, voice lost somewhere within her as she brushes her pointer finger over Chloe's mouth to stop her rant. "No. You can't do that, and I won't let you. You and I both know your heart is in Paris, not New York. That's where you're living your dream and I can't ask you to give that up for me. I shouldn't have in the first place."

"I feel selfish," Chloe admits under her breath after a few seconds of silence have passed, breaking eye-contact to stare at the sidewalk. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't – It's okay." Beca sighs softly. She reaches out to wipe her cheeks when a few tears topple over the rims of her eyes. "Maybe I can move to Paris once my contract with the label is up. It's just... that wouldn't be for another three years."

Chloe swallows and puffs out a breath. "Three years."

"Yeah. And I'd need to find a label accepting to sign me in France."

The uncertainty over that actually happening hangs in the air between them. Chloe is aware of it too, if the way her eyes are rapidly filling with tears any indication.

"Beca," Chloe's voice breaking over her name makes Beca clench her teeth as she braces herself for the inevitable. Chloe looks as though she wants to do the most responsible thing there is given the situation, to prevent their hearts from getting any more caught up in something that might leave them broken beyond repair.

"Don't say it," Beca shakes her head, pleading eyes moving to meet Chloe's pained ones. She's aware she's not making any sense, fleeing from the rational decision and letting her heart talk for her brain. "Can we ignore everything for tonight? Just... be with each other and pretend this conversation never happened?"

Chloe exhales slowly and nods, squeezing Beca's fingers in return. "Okay."

They don't talk any more about it, not after making love later that night or upon saying goodbye a couple days later. The words feel too harsh and too foreign to be uttered or even acknowledged in the back of their minds. Beca is left suspended, heart torn apart between overwhelming love and undeniable ache; between hope and rationality.

Chloe calls her when she gets home, half-heartedly yelling at Beca for spending so much money on her birthday gift; a thin platinum bracelet adorning a cerulean stone in the middle that Beca came across while walking past Tiffany's window one day and knew she had to get.

They don't call each other as much when they each get back to their routines, as though both distancing themselves to make the decision looming over their head less painful when one of them makes up their mind to take that leap.

It doesn't happen.

Nothing happens, really.

Summer comes and goes. They don't talk much, send each other less pictures and it feels to Beca as though their respective doubts have taken over, yet they can't bring themselves to make it official.

Beca focuses on music, spending most of her time at the studio either writing songs or working with other artists. It helps her not to let her mind wander too much to how they got to this point; from blissfully in love with each other to miserably in love with each other.

/

The music pounding through the speakers lights up every cell in her body.

Beca knows she shouldn't have drunk so much. Her tongue is tingling and her limbs feel like they are moving on their own and she knows she'll soon be losing any ounce of coherency but she doesn't care.

At this point, she's done caring. She swings back her shot and slams it on the table, plucking the lemon extended to her out of the person's hand and squeezing it between her teeth, eyes screwing shut at the acid taste coating her tongue.

"Wanna do a body-shot?" The question is slurred into her ear, and she looks over her shoulder to find piercing green eyes staring back at her.

"I'm good," she says with a hard swallow, her mind flashing back to those cerulean blue eyes and sparkling smile. Her stomach churns as her own smile slips from her face and the alcohol flees from her system all at once.

"Or how about we get out of here?" The girl who has been flirting with her for the last five minutes asks with a smirk, and Beca is caught off guard by the sudden urge to throw up.

She doesn't know what she's doing, or rather what she's done, deciding to come her with a few of the other artists from the label. Deciding to drown her heartache in tequila and letting this woman somehow believe that she is single.

It feels like she's cheating on Chloe and her heart sinks to her stomach.

"I have to go," she blurts, slightly pushing the woman away from her to start towards the exit. She needs Chloe, she needs Chloe now, and for a few seconds she forget about the thousands of miles separating them.

For a few seconds, she forgets about how they left things and how they haven't properly talked in the last two months.

For a few seconds, she forgets about how they are more broken-up than anything else.

"Fuck!" Beca shouts as soon as she steps into the street, not caring that she draws curious glances towards her. She glares at the dozen of people now staring at her. "What the fuck are you looking at!"

She takes a right and starts to march down the street, not caring that she should probably catch a cab as her apartment is not really in walking-distance. Shoving a hand down her leather jacket pocket, she fishes out her phone and fumbles with it for a little while.

It rings once, twice, before the voice that never fails to make her smile echoes down the line.

" _Beca?"_ The ache in Beca's chest doesn't lessen as she's struck by just how much she's missed Chloe. Her voice, her scent, her touch. _Everything_. _"Are you there?"_

"Yeah." She replies quietly, her determined step faltering. She stops in front of a house and sits on the bottom step, propping her elbow on her knee. "I – I miss you."

" _I miss you, too."_ The lack of pause in Chloe's reply mends her heart a tiny bit. _"I'm so happy to hear your voice."_

"So am I," Beca sniffles, cursing at the tears running down her cheeks.

" _Bec,"_ The nickname she hasn't heard in so long unleashes the emotions she has been trying to push down. They barrel out of her mouth in a strangled sob, her free hand shooting up to restrain the ones following. _"Baby."_

"I don't want us to break up," Beca blubbers, her chest caving in under the pent-up pressure. "I don't care about the distance or how long we have to stay apart before we finally get to live together, because I'll wait. I'll wait until we figure something out and I know we will."

Chloe takes a deep breath and Beca mimics her, needing all the oxygen she can get as she waits for an answer. Before Chloe can utter anything, however, Beca hears the voice of a man down the line.

He says something in French and Chloe replies in the same language and Beca hates that she can't understand a thing.

"Who was that?" she asks, shoulders slumping.

" _A, um, a photographer friend of mine. He's in the city and wanted to hear about my internship."_

Frowning, Beca pulls the phone away for her ear. The clock on her phone and quick math tells her it's still fairly early in France. "At 6:30 in the morning?"

" _He, um, he came over for dinner last night and we talked for a long time so he ended up crashing on the couch."_

"I see," Beca utters through clenched teeth, the whole imagery making her skin crawl. Her first thought over this is that maybe Chloe didn't miss her as much as she claims. "I shouldn't have called."

" _What?"_ Chloe chokes out and Beca hears some shuffling, like she's getting up from her bed. _"Beca, whatever you're thinking, it's not like that. David's just a friend."_

"Right." She mutters, trying to keep another round of tears, angry ones this time, at bay. "I'll, uh, I'll let you enjoy your time with your _friend,_ then. _"_

Part of her acknowledges how immature she's acting, but it stings to imagine Chloe could ever be with someone else.

" _Beca, don't be like this,"_ Chloe pleads.

"Like what? Upset?" Beca spits out, anger flaring in her chest. "Of course I am, Chloe. I've spent the whole summer wallowing on how we left things and now I call to find out you're clearly not upset over the whole thing and are having _fun_ with a friend of yours!"

There's a long pause at the end of the line.

" _You've got some nerve, Beca."_ Chloe's icy voice has a chill run down Beca's spine. Not the good kind. _"I've been miserable this whole time because I don't know what to_ _ **do**_ _. I don't know what to do with our situation and it's tearing me apart."_

"Chloe – "

" _There hasn't been a day this summer where I didn't think of you. There hasn't been a day where I woke up without feeling like crying over us and the possibility that we may break up."_

The waver in Chloe's voice is ten times more painful and sends a dagger right through Beca's heart.

" _So don't you go and call me,_ _ **drunk**_ _might I add, and accuse me of not being as upset as you. Don't – don't make me the bad guy, here."_

"Chlo,"

" _Don't_ _ **Chlo**_ _me!"_ She spits out. _"How do you expect me to believe that you want to wait for us to be together no matter what if you can't even trust me when I tell you I'm spending time with a_ _ **friend**_ _. I'm aware your reaction might be heightened by the alcohol but for now, I'm better off not listening to your bullshit, so fuck off, Beca."_

"Wait, I – " Beca falters as the line clicks to silence. Pulling her phone away from her ear, she resists the urge to slam it against the pavement. She kicks the railing of the stairs with her foot instead, a stream of curses tumbling out of her mouth upon the pain shooting into her toes. "Fuck!"

She tries to call Chloe a few times, leaving desperate voicemails that will probably remain unheards for a while. She eventually resumes walking, aimlessly this time, and considers stepping into a random bar to drink the amount of liquor it will take in order to forget the whole ordeal, when the vibration of her phone, still clutched in her hand, cuts her train of thought.

"What do you want?"

" _Easy, tiger,"_ Stacie's voice teases down the line. _"Glad to hear you're still alive."_

"What do you want?" Beca repeats with a snarl.

" _Where are you?"_

"What do you care?"

" _Okay. I'm going to phrase that differently. Chloe called me, said you were drunk and that you two had a fight and she's worried sick and wanted you to get home safely. Just tell me where you are and I'll come pick you up."_

"She called you?" Beca echoes to make sure, her anger and frustration abruptly vanishing from her body.

She's thrown back to the time she was sick and Chloe had done all she could possibly do while on the other side of the ocean.

Beca is knocked sideways by sudden guilt spreading in her chest. She accused Chloe of something she knows Chloe would never do, while herself had done far worse this evening, letting a woman believe she was into her to the point where she offered to take Beca back to her place.

That thought is enough to make her sick again, and this time she is unable to push it aside. Doubling over, she rushes to the curb, leaning against a street light just before the contents of her stomach splash over the asphalt. Panting, Beca straightens up half a minute later when she believes she's done and mumbles the street corner she is at to her roommate.

"You're an idiot," Stacie tells her as soon as Beca is done relaying her actions of the night. "Don't get me wrong, the grand gesture of calling her and telling her you'll do anything to save your relationship is romantic, but not when you're plastered. And throwing a jealous fit after you _just_ claimed you're convinced you'd make the distance? Are you stupid?"

"Yes, _okay_?" Beca whips her head to the side to stare at Stacie. "I'm fucking stupid. I shouldn't even be in a relationship because I suck at it."

"Okay, enough with the fucking pity party," Stacie grumbles, quickly glaring at her. "You're better at it than you think. You must be doing some stuff right because Chloe wouldn't have stuck around if not. You love with your whole, raw and unconditionally and sure, you make mistakes, like tonight, but everybody does. It's human and it's _fixable_."

"Yeah, I hope so," Beca whispers, setting her forehead against the window as she gazes at the street lights zipping by. She needs to fix this, but she doesn't know where to begin. "What should I do?"

Stacie sighs as she stirs the vehicle into their street. "Right now? Drink some water and get some sleep. Then call Chloe in the morning and pray she picks up."

"Stace," Beca groans.

"Apologize and start over. Give her enough proof that you guys are going to work out. Show her you trust her, because you do, right?"

"Yeah, of course I do."

Stacie slows down to a stop, turns the ignition off, unbuckles her seatbelt and twists in her seat to face Beca. "Okay. Have you given some thought about your situation? Have you worked something out in your mind, thought about a permanent plan for the future?"

"I – I mentioned moving to Paris, but..."

"But what?"

Beca looks down at her hands. "But it's a lot to think about, especially regarding my career and everything I've established here."

"Do you _want_ to move out there? Or is it just something you feel like you're going to have to take upon yourself because that's the only solution for you two to be together?"

Pausing, Beca takes a minute to mull it over. It's not the first time she lets her thoughts drift to what it would mean to move there.

Paris holds a special place in her heart because it's where it all started; where she found what she had been missing for so many years.

She would be lying if she said her mind hasn't wandered to the promises behind that fantasy countless of times; getting coffee and croissants every morning before she and Chloe go to their respective jobs, letting Chloe drag her to weird or creepy historic places on the weekends, listening to Chloe sing along to French songs on their road-trips.

"Of course I do. I just... it's not me just packing a bag and getting on a plane like last summer. It's a little bit more challenging."

"I'm not saying it's not, far from that." Stacie clarifies with a gentle expression. "What I'm saying is, if that's what you truly want, moving over there and starting a proper life with Chloe, then those technicalities shouldn't be big enough to prevent you from doing just so."

Beca nods but remains silent, her still slightly inebriated mind suddenly sparking with so many thoughts at once.

"Besides, with how successful you are, not to mention worldwide famous now, you shouldn't have too much trouble getting signed in France, right?"

Beca shakes her head. "I guess not."

Stacie smiles and reaches across the console to cover Beca's hands with her own. "Sleep on it, make some calls to figure out the professional part and take as much time as you need to think it over. Don't make any promises to Chloe that you're not sure you'll be able to keep."

"I know," Beca immediately agrees. "I won't."

"Okay. For the record, and if that wasn't clear enough by now, I'm rooting for you two. You're the happiest I've seen you in all the years I've known your ass and you deserve every bit of that happiness."

Beca feels her eyes prick with tears and rolls them towards the roof of the car. "Don't make me fucking cry, Conrad."

"Aw," Stacie coos, reaching over to hug her (read: smother Beca with her boobs) and press a motherly kiss to her hair. "Love you, B."

"Yeah, yeah," Beca grumbles as she pushes Stacie away. "Love you, too."

Sleep doesn't come easy that night, Beca's mind reeling over big decisions as she stares at the same spot of light reflected on the ceiling.

Moving over there would mean moving to a different country, a place where she wouldn't know anyone but Chloe, a place with a different language, one she doesn't speak.

It would mean finding another label or settling on a long-distance arrangement with her current one, a lot of back and forth between France and the USA for shows, interviews and collaborations.

But it would also mean waking up to Chloe every morning, coming home to her every night, not having to check their calendars to see when they can spend time together.

It would mean getting to kiss Chloe or hug her whenever she wants. It sounds so simple and probably taken for granted by most couples, but the thought alone has warmth spread in her belly.

That thought alone makes all the cons in her list insignificant.

She reaches across the bed for her phone, unplugs it from its charger and starts typing a message out to Chloe.

 **Beca [4:08 AM]**

 _I'm sorry. I fucked up tonight and you have every right to be mad at me. I did mean it when I said I want to work things out, more than anything. I hope you can hear me out when you're ready._

 **Beca [4:08 AM]**

 _I love you._

After much pondering, Beca finally presses send, puts her phone down and turns over, mind and heart somewhat at peace as she drifts off to sleep.

She wakes up to the light drifting through her window, the events from last night slowly coming back to her piece by piece.

"Fuck," she groans into her hands, freezing momentarily before tentatively reaching for her phone on the bedside table. "Please, please, please."

 **Chloe [6:22 AM]**

 _Call me when you wake up?_

Heaving out all the tension from her body in one big puff, Beca scrambles to sit up, hitting the call button at the same time.

" _Hi,"_

"Hey," Beca says quietly, closing her eyes in relief over Chloe actually picking up. "I'm sorry."

" _I know,"_ Chloe murmurs just as softly. _"Nothing happened, Beca. And I didn't want anything to happen. Do you believe me? Because if you don't, then I don't know how..."_

Chloe stops herself short, seemingly unable to utter the rest of the sentence.

"I do," Beca rushes out. "I do trust you. I fucked up last night, I got jealous with no reason to be and I'm sorry."

" _Okay,"_ Chloe is the one to exhale this time. _"I'm sorry I told you to fuck off. I was – I was upset that our first conversation in months was an argument."_

"I deserved it." Beca screws her eyes shut, the guilt over doing shots with that girl last night hitting her square in the chest. "Chloe,"

" _What's – what's wrong?"_

"I got really drunk last night at the club and did some shots with this girl."

" _Okay..."_ Chloe drawls out, tone strained. _"Beca?"_

"I didn't do anything with her. I didn't _want_ to do anything. It just... it took me awhile to even realize she was flirting, and when I did she was asking me if I wanted to do body shots and then leave with her and that's when I snapped back to reality and I feel awful over it because I got jealous over you and this guy when what I did is far worse!"

" _Beca. Beca,"_ Chloe pleads. _"Slow down. Take a breath."_ Beca does as she's told. _"Then another."_ Chloe waits until she hears proof of that before continuing. _"You're saying nothing happened?"_

"No, of course not. I just hate myself for being so clueless in the first place. I should have realized she was coming onto me."

" _Okay."_

"O-okay?"

Chloe sighs. _"Bec, I'm not going to lie and say I'm thrilled about you letting a girl hit on you. Of course it ticks me off, but if you said you didn't have any intention of responding to it, then yeah, it's okay. I trust you and I just... I want to put those awful three months behind us and start anew. Can we – can we do that?"_

Beca blinks, finding it hard to believe what she's hearing. "That's it? You're not – you're not mad?"

" _No. I do know how dense you can be about people's attraction to you and I believe you when you say nothing happened. End of story."_

"Now I feel even worse about being jealous last night." Beca grunts, falling back into the pillows and momentarily wishing the mattress would swallow her whole.

" _I'll admit it must have sounded weird that I had someone at my place so early in the morning."_

"I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions."

" _I know. You already apologized and I'm not mad. Okay?"_

Beca lets out a long breath. "Yeah."

There is a long pause where Beca tries to sort out all the things she wants to say to Chloe. It's a giant mess of tangled confessions, and she doesn't know where to start.

" _Beca?"_

"I love you." She says first because it's the thing she's most certain about. "Like... my heart does this weird, wonderful thing in my chest whenever I think about you and –" she registers Chloe's sharp intake of breath but doesn't stop. She's overwhelmed by the sudden need to get it all out. "And that's not going to change, even if we're apart for three more years. I've been... miserable the last few months because we didn't speak much and I don't – "

" _Becs,"_

"Can you let me finish, please?" she requests softly, afraid of getting self-conscious about spilling her heart out. It's not something she's used to; sharing her feelings with such urgency, as though she might burst if she doesn't.

" _Okay."_

Beca draws in a quivering breath that barely reaches her lungs. "I don't want to break up. I don't want to let you go because of the ocean between us or because of our busy schedules. I want to keep waking up to your cute messages and hear all about your day and be completely, disgustingly excited about our Skype date nights on Fridays and getting to see your cute face at the airport, with your ridiculous sign with my name on it. I just... I don't want to be with anyone else. And it doesn't matter how many years we have to go back and forth, I'm confident that our love is strong enough. And I'm so sorry for ever letting you believe the contrary and scaring you."

She falls silent, slightly breathless, her heart thudding madly in her chest as she waits.

" _Can I speak, now?"_ The smile in Chloe's tone makes the invisible weight pressing on her shoulder go away. _"First of, I love you, too. Unbelievably so. Second, I've been a mess lately, too, and Aubrey almost called you to kick your ass over the phone until I told her the radio silence was kind of mutual. Third, I'm in, no matter the distance or the time apart, because it all seems trivial when I think about how you're the best thing that ever happened to me and how happy you make me."_

Beca's heart settles down in her chest. "You – you mean that?"

Chloe laughs quietly, as though in astonishment over Beca's question. _"Of course I do. You should really give yourself some more credit, Bec."_

"Yeah, I'm... still working on that."

" _It's okay."_ Chloe says patiently. _"This... time around gave me the opportunity to think about us and what you said and... you're right. We have to figure something out for the future, something tangible to look forward to."_

"I would – I think I'd like to move to France."

The silence on the other end launches Beca into another round of cold-sweat panic when it stretches to longer than necessary.

"Chlo?" she croaks out. "Can you say something, please?"

" _Really?"_ Chloe asks quietly.

"Yeah." Beca smiles and exhales deeply in relief. She knows it's the right decision to do now that she says it outloud. "Eating cheese everyday? Sign me up."

" _Beca,"_ Chloe's tone warns her to stay on a serious track.

"It's all your fault. You made me fall in love with the city and the imaginary and it feels kinda... _right_ to start our life together in the place where it all started, you know?"

" _I... yeah."_

Beca smiles at Chloe's awestruck tone.

" _As much as I love the idea of you moving to Paris, and believe me when I tell you that I want to squeal so loudly over it, won't you miss New York?"_

"Well, I'd need to go back and forth a few times in the year, so I was thinking I could keep a place out here for that. I'm a celebrity after all and most of us have two houses in different countries so it wouldn't be a big deal."

" _Listen to you,"_ Chloe mocks with a snicker. _"I think the success is getting to your head, babe."_

"I'm sticking my tongue at you right now," Beca mumbles, then sobers up when she remembers that night Chloe asked her if she missed home. "I like New York, yeah. But it's not home. Home is where the heart is, right?" Beca clears her throat when she feels the emotion tickle her throat. "So that would be in Paris, or wherever it is you are."

A long silence follows, broken by a half-sob, half-laugh that makes her heart expand in her chest.

" _And you believe you're bad at this relationship stuff,"_ Chloe lets out through another watery laugh. _"Did we just figure this out?"_

"I guess so. At least the big lines." They share a stunned laugh at that, Beca wiping away the tear that managed to escape from her eye. "I need to sort some stuff out to see exactly how and when this can happen but... we're going to be fine, Chlo."

" _I know."_ Chloe murmurs. Oxygen surges Beca's lungs. _"I love you, and I wish I could hug you right now. And kiss you all over."_

"Me, too. To all three." Beca replies softly. "Let's go away somewhere. Soon. For a fresh start?"

" _Like, where?"_

"You choose, I'll follow."

" _Beca Mitchell, you're awfully romantic today."_

"Mmm." Beca smirks. "Enjoy it while it lasts because I've already reached my quota of cheesiness for the day."

" _I've always wanted to go to Greece. I've heard it's a nice blend of history, scenery and good food."_

"Sounds perfect. I'll check my calendar later today and let you know, alright?"

" _Our first vacation together!"_ Chloe's squeals into the phone. _"We're getting pretty serious."_

Beca laughs and calls her a dork, before they say goodbye as she has a couple of interviews to get ready for.

They arrange for a trip to Greece only three weeks later and Beca pays a little bit more for a flight to Paris first in order to take the plane to Greece with Chloe, as a proper, romantic couple vacation should start.

"How are you such a morning person?" Beca grumbles, angling her face into the pillow to shield her eyes from the bright light. "This is supposed to be a _vacation_ , Chlo."

Chloe only giggles in response and Beca feels her nudge her calf with her foot. "You're a sloth."

Beca pops one eye open to find her girlfriend standing by the side of the bed, already showered and wearing a pale yellow summer dress that shows off her sun-kissed skin. She suddenly feels wide awake as her eyes trail up and down Chloe's body.

"Come back to bed," Beca husks out, extending her hand out. "Just five minutes. Greece is not going anywhere anytime soon."

Chloe purses her lips in conflict, then sighs and laces her fingers with Beca's. Beca tugs on her hand as she rolls onto her back, pulling Chloe half-beside her, half-on top.

"We have a lot of things to do," Chloe says after they trade a few lazy good morning kisses. Her eyes are sparkling with barely contained excitement. "The Acropolis, the national gardens, the Plaka neighborhood and a few museums."

"Mm," Beca kisses her again, sighing against her lips. "We have three weeks here, Chlo. I think we can afford to be lazy on the first day."

Three weeks. It's the most time they will be spending together since last summer and Beca feels a her body light up with happiness in anticipation.

Three weeks without work; no studio, no galleries, no paparazzi. Just the two of them.

And for the first time since they got together, Beca isn't thinking about the goodbyes, because they don't feel so scary anymore.

They have a plan down the road, and she while she knows there might be bumps and skidding turns along the way, the finish-line will always be somehow in sight.

"I know." Chloe grins, brushing Beca's hair away from her cheek and tucking it behind her ear. Beca chases Chloe's palm with her lips to press a kiss there. "Sorry, I'm just excited. Greece has always been one of my dream destinations as a photographer, I want to take it all in one stride. And getting to do it with my favorite person makes it a hundred times better."

Beca smiles, pushing herself up to kiss Chloe. "I love you."

She's not embarrassed about saying it ten times a day. She's not embarrassed about how disgustingly sappy everything about her becomes whenever Chloe is mentioned. She's not embarrassed about the amount of love she holds inside of her for Chloe.

"Love you, too." Chloe's lips breaks into a beaming smile, before she places a final, sound kiss to Beca's. "Now get up, we're going to miss breakfast. And I know you like to eat as much as you can whenever it's a buffet."

"Can't help it. Free food."

Chloe laughs, vibrant and carefree and the kind that makes Beca's smile so wide the corners of her eyes crinkle and her cheeks hurt from the strain. "I'm still impressed with how much you eat for your size."

"Hey," Beca warns, eyebrows knitting together in fake offense. "Keep going with the bullying and I might just not let you take pictures of me this whole trip. And we both know I'm your favorite model." Beca smirks. "I mean, you've got a creepy folder of just pictures of me hidden on your computer."

Chloe gasps, abruptly sitting up, while Beca chuckles. "You said it wasn't creepy! And it's not _hidden_!"

"I'm kidding," Beca rushes out, propping herself on her elbows to place an apologetic kiss on Chloe's cheek. "I'm kidding. You can take all the pictures you want, I don't care. In fact, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Chloe sobers up at the mild-seriousness in Beca's tone and sits back on her heels. "Yeah?"

"That photo that you took at _Coachella_ is apparently my most liked photo ever on social media and my management team thinks it would be a nice idea to have more photos shot from behind the scenes, like a documentary of some sorts. Maybe... maybe a short book about life on tour." Beca pauses, granting Chloe some time to process her words. "We agreed it should be done during my album tour next spring and I told them that I would only do this if I get to choose the photographer."

Chloe's eyes widen slightly. "Okay?"

Beca straightens against the headboard and reaches out to loosely thread her fingers through Chloe's. "It'd be a month-long, twenty-one cities across the States and Canada. You'd be paid by the label, of course, and all other expenses covered; your round-trip from Paris, hotel rooms and food."

Chloe is so uncharacteristically silent that Beca starts to panic inwardly.

"I know it's a long commitment, away from your life in Paris and your galleries and you don't have to if you don't want to. I won't be upset or anything."

"No, I... I'd love to."

Beca's lips curve into a small, cautious smile. "Yeah?"

Chloe nods. "Yeah. It's just... stage pictures are challenging and I don't know if I'm the most... fitting for the job."

"You are, trust me," Beca brings their joined hands to her lips, kissing the back of Chloe's. "There's no one else I'd rather do this with. No one else that makes me as comfortable in front of a camera as you do. I've worked with a lot of photographers, and you're the only one that manages to capture me as... me."

Chloe takes a deep breath, as if to get a hold of her increasing nerves. "Okay. Yeah. Let's do it."

Beca chuckles and tugs Chloe closer to kiss her. "You're already nervous. It's not for another six months, y'know."

"This is a big deal!" She cries out with wide eyes. "This could mean a huge turn in my career."

"I know. And I'm really excited about working with you. It's been in the talks with my publicist since the start of the summer but... I – I didn't know where we stood at that time."

Chloe's eyes leave hers to lock on their laced hands. Her thumb starts to rub gentle circles on the inside of Beca's wrist. "I'm sorry."

A tear escapes the corner of Chloe's eyes as she closes them.

Beca gulps, gaping wordlessly at the sudden switch in demeanor. "Chlo,"

"Ugh, I'm being stupid," Chloe chides herself, eyes rolling towards the ceiling as she brushes her tears away with her free hand. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, stop apologizing," Beca requests softly, pulling Chloe into her lap and tilting Chloe's face up to chase her fleeing gaze. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry about our fight and the things I've said that were uncalled for. I'm sorry I said you didn't believe in us when you were trying to figure out our future." Chloe inhales sharply. "I'm sorry we almost broke up."

After making-up over the phone, they didn't talk about it until now. When Beca flew into Paris yesterday, they let their pent-up desire lead the way and barely took the time to speak, apart from murmuring how much they loved and missed each other in the intimacy of Chloe's bedroom.

Beca didn't know when it would be brought up, but was aware they couldn't avoid it if they do want that fresh start to work.

"We didn't." Beca says softly, pressing her lips to Chloe's bare shoulder. "We didn't. And even if we did, how much time did you think that would have lasted?"

Chloe shrugs, nibbling on her bottom lip. "Not long."

"Exactly." Beca squeezes her waist affectionately. "And while that fight and what followed was awful, I think – I think it was needed?" Beca grimaces at her choice of words. "Don't get me wrong, but our time apart this summer without really talking proved me how much I wanted, _needed_ us to push through all the difficulties because – because this is worth it. And now we have something to look forward to whenever it gets a little difficult, because it probably will from time to time."

Chloe nods, sniffling. "I know."

"But we'll be okay." She nuzzles Chloe's neck, grinning against her skin. "I can't wait to move to Paris."

Chloe blows out a breath. "You really mean that?"

Beca pulls away to look at Chloe. "Of course I do."

"Sorry. I was afraid you might make this decision because you feel like you _have_ to and I don't want you to abandon your dreams for me. I wouldn't abandon mine and I feel like it's not fair to you."

Sighing, Beca leans in to kiss Chloe as a reassurance stamp.

"I'm not abandoning any dream. They're coming along with me to Paris, because I can make music anywhere. It's just a matter of contracts, but that's easily settled if I do this right. I get that you don't want to abandon everything you've spent years building, and I'm not upset about that." Beca reaches out to cup Chloe's cheek, tugging her attention towards her. "I _want_ to do this, it's not the kind of decision where part of me wonders if it's a good idea. I've thought about it long and hard and moving to Paris feels _right_ , on all accounts."

The tension seems to leave Chloe's shoulders as they drop. "Okay. I'm sorry for ruining the start of our vacation with this."

Beca glares half-playfully. "If you apologize one more time, I'm eating breakfast without you."

"Sorry." Chloe clamps her teeth down on her lips with a sheepish expression. "I take this one back."

"Mmm."

The trip to Greece is everything they needed to rekindle with one another after their near fall-out. They forget about real life, its pressure and responsibilities for three weeks and focus on each other, catching up on those three months where their relationship was left suspended in uncertainty.

Chloe tells Beca about her internship and all the things she learned from a photographer she has admired since the start of her career. Beca shares her prospects about the upcoming artists she took under her wing, about Emily and the songs they co-wrote together.

They spill their wishes and dreams over glasses of wine, and write a common bucket-list with some things to be ticked away over the set three years before they get to be in the same place.

Some that are so ridiculous and overly cheesy that they barely make the cut.

("We're _not_ getting a countdown app, Chlo.")

("But it's _romantic_!")

("Ugh, kill me now.")

("Is that a yes, then?")

("You suck.")

Some to do when they are apart.

Work-out together over Skype (Beca isn't really fond about that one), read the same book at the same time, make a long-distance playlist.

And some when they are together.

Road-trip the American west coast, get a couple's massage (she is, however, much more on board with this one), meeting each other's families, and many more.

Those three blissful weeks fly by, punctuated with lazy morning lie-ins, walks on the beach, impromptu photo-shoots, stargazing and playing guitar under the moonlight.

Like every single time, they are eventually back at the airport, sharing one last kiss, a long, heart-melting embrace and sweet reassurances.

This time around, however, they say goodbye with lighter hearts and minds.

/

Six weeks after coming back from Greece, Beca flies to Paris for Christmas. She rolls her eyes, yet grins like a fool when she spots Chloe excitedly waving a sign with her name on it.

She doesn't care about the paparazzi that might be there or the people around them that are probably not asking for a show of public display of affection. She sweeps Chloe into a searing kiss, locking her arms around Chloe's waist to lift her a couple inches from the ground.

The weather is mild and there is no snow, but they spend most of the first few days together cooped up in Chloe's apartment; decorating the tree, making Christmas cookies with ridiculous Christmas sweaters on (Chloe blackmailed her), taking goofy selfies and watching Christmas movies.

"I can't believe this is already our second Christmas together," Chloe chimes in as they lie on the couch after a delicious Christmas Eve dinner at Aubrey's with Chloe's friends. A French-dubbed re-run of _Home Alone_ is playing on the TV but neither of them is really paying attention.

"Mmm," Beca hums, raking the tip of her fingers over Chloe's scalp as Chloe more or less lies on top of her. Chloe looks up at her with amused eyes over her eloquent response. "Sorry. I'm falling in a food coma."

"No wonder, you ate like, _ten_ of those carambars." Chloe tells her, along with a pointed glance thrown at the nearly empty candy bag laying by Beca's hip. "My list of stuff to ship over to NYC is growing longer."

"Please don't send those," Beca says, tossing the bag of caramel sweets away from her. She doesn't know what she likes the most about them; the taste, or the dumb jokes on the inside of the wrapping that Chloe has been translating for her over the last half-hour. "I might not recover."

Giggling, Chloe leans up to kiss her chin. "I know we're only giving each other our presents tomorrow, but am I allowed to give you one of mine tonight?"

"We can open them all tonight for all I care." Beca shrugs.

"No, 'cause then we won't have anything exciting to wake up to tomorrow morning," Chloe argues lightly, finishing it off with a pout.

"Are you saying that waking up with me in your bed doesn't do anything for you anymore?" Beca asks, arching an eyebrow as her other hand trails down to rest over Chloe's ass, slipping in the back pocket of her jeans and giving her butt cheek a light squeeze. "Damn. I need to step up my game."

"Stay here," Chloe orders, stealing a kiss from Beca's lips before springing off the couch and jogging to her bedroom, socks skidding over the hardwood floors as she rounds the corner.

Beca laughs after her, shaking her head at how excited Chloe gets over anything that has to do with the holiday. When Chloe doesn't come back in the next thirty seconds, Beca reaches over to pluck a candy out of the bag (she's already eaten ten of those, what's one more?), unwraps it and pops it into her mouth.

She almost chokes on it when Chloe appears in the doorway, clad in nothing else but a bright red babydoll that leaves very little to her imagination. Her previously pinned back hair has been let loose and falls around her face in soft curls, while the color of her lips matches the satin material and the Christmas hat sitting on her head. Beca swallows as her eyes zoom in on Chloe's generous cleavage.

"Holy crap," Beca mumbles around the candy as she sits up, cursing when a string of saliva escapes from the corner of her mouth. She wipes it away and groans at her incredible ability to ruin the moment. "That's attractive."

"Tell me Beca," Chloe's flirty tone snaps Beca's attention back towards her. She's apparently chose to ignore Beca making a fool of herself and is now striding confidently towards her, adding a bit of strut to her hips. "Have you been nice or naughty this year?"

Beca's eyes widen as Chloe swiftly straddles her lap. A string of incoherent babble leaves her mouth before she gets a hold of herself. The fire in Chloe's eyes indicates what the answer should be. "Naughty. Like you wouldn't _believe_."

Chloe hums in satisfaction while Beca's hands run up her sides, satin smooth under her palms. "That's what I thought."

Beca's eyes drop to Chloe's lips just as they come down onto hers with purpose. She moans into the lip-lock, squeezing Chloe's waist to show her approval.

"Bec," Chloe pulls away after a moment, half-lidded eyes meeting hers. "You said you were okay with handcuffs, right?"

Beca gulps, a spike of lust hitting her spine and leaving her body electrified. "Y-yeah, yes. Fuck. Please."

Has she mentioned this Christmas thing is starting to grow on her, yet?

/

A few months later, she flies Chloe over for the Grammy's, where she and Emily are nominated for _Best Song_. It's their first official outing as a couple and while Beca knows people _know_ (they haven't been so discreet or caring on their last outings, that it be in New York City or in Paris), it's still nerve-wracking.

"Baby, you are allowed to change your mind about this," Chloe tells her as they sit in the back of the car taking them to the ceremony. Beca stills her bouncing knee. "I don't have to walk the red carpet with you. I won't be upset if you don't feel ready to make it official. Really."

"No, I... I want to." Beca kisses her softly to mark her words. "I'm just nervous. _Good_ nervous."

Chloe smiles softly. "Okay."

"You look beautiful, by the way," Beca adds, letting her eyes rake over Chloe's strapless, tight-fitting navy blue dress. "I can't remember if I mentioned that already."

"You have, once or twice," Chloe confirms. "And as hot as you look in that suit, I can't wait to get you out of it."

Conveniently, the car just comes to a stop in front of the ceremony venue when Beca's blush is reaching its summit under Chloe's blazing stare.

"Hold on," Beca says when Chloe is about to step out. "Let's take a picture."

Chloe does a double-take. "You, Beca Mitchell, want to take a selfie?"

"Yeah." She says as she fumbles with her phone. "I want my fans to find out through me first. Not the press."

Smiling, Chloe shuffles closer. "I think that's a good idea."

They snap a few shots, Beca ultimately choosing the one where Chloe is kissing her cheek and she's grinning at the camera like the idiot in love that she is.

She opens up Instagram, bypasses the filters, and goes for a simple caption.

 **.official** _Grammys tonight with my favorite person in the whole wild world 3_

"You're aware your reputation is going to take a blow with that caption, right?" Chloe says, laughter laced in her tone as she props her chin over Beca's shoulder.

"Yeah, but I guess you're worth it." She replies, feigning a resigned sigh as she hits publish.

"Love you," Chloe whispers, pressing her smiling lips to Beca's bare shoulder. "Should I expect my Instagram to blow up?"

They both chuckle when Beca's phone chimes with a few notifications. "Probably."

She and Emily win the Grammy and she kisses Chloe chastely when her name is announced, letting Emily take the spotlight once on stage. She performs the song she wrote with Ed Sheeran later during the night, and they hit the after-party afterwards, before she drags Chloe home, eager for Chloe to keep her promise about the suit.

"You won another Grammy," Chloe murmurs, tone laced with awe as Beca slides the key in her apartment door. "And I'm so, so proud of you, but what I really want right now is you, out of that suit."

Inhaling sharply as Chloe presses herself flush against her back, Beca fumbles a little bit with the lock before she gets it right, barealy having time to close the door behind them before Chloe's lips fuse with hers in a heated kiss.

Beca breaks apart to fill her lungs with some needed air and tugs Chloe down the rest of the way to her bedroom. She blindly turns the knob and pushes the door open, kicking it behind them while remaining lip-locked with Chloe, who is already shrugging her suit jacket off.

"I should wear suits more often," Beca butts in in between increasingly heated kisses as Chloe backs her up towards the bed. "If it gets you hot and bothered like that."

Chloe hums then pauses, glancing at Beca's bedside table. Beca follows her line of sight, then trains her eyes back on Chloe.

"What?"

Chloe pulls away to grab the book entitled _French for Dummies_. "You're learning French?"

"I, uh, yes? Trying at least?" Beca stutters out. "I figured I should since I'm moving to France and all – humph!" The air is knocked out of her lungs by the force of Chloe's embrace. Beca laughs and loosely holds Chloe's waist. "Chlo,"

"That makes me _so_ happy," Chloe whispers when she pulls away, all bright and glistening eyes. Beca knows the alcohol is heightening her reaction but her heart flutters anyway.

Beca cocks her head to the side. "What did you expect, that I would be attached to your hip all the time and let you be my translator?"

"I dunno, I didn't really think about it until now," Chloe sets the book down and turns back to Beca, setting her forearms over Beca's shoulders and locking her hands behind her neck. "What did you learn so far?"

"I've literally just started," Beca chuckles at Chloe's palpable excitement. "So I know numbers up to fifty. But I kinda remembered that stuff from high-school. And I also remember the basics like, je m'appelle Beca, j'ai..." she stops to count in her head. "Vingt-huit ans et j'habite à New York. That's all I've got."

"That's a good start," Chloe tells her with a wink. "And that accent is making me even more hot and bothered than that suit."

"Yeah?" Beca replies cheekily, setting her hands back on Chloe's hips. "Oh! I know how to say something else."

Chloe arches an eyebrow and waits.

"Tu es très jolie."

Chloe's blue eyes soften and her lips curve into an appreciative smile. "Smooth."

"I can also say, 'voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir?'."

"Everybody knows how to say that, babe," Chloe snickers, eyes rolling towards the ceiling, clearly unimpressed. "But kudos for the effort."

Beca ignores her teasing. "So?"

" _So?_ "

Beca huffs impatiently. "I asked you a question."

"Oh!" Chloe grins and presses a hard kiss to Beca's lips that makes her dizzy with desire for more. Beca whimpers dazedly when they part, blinking a few times. " _Obviously_."

Beca shudders at the leftover tingles washing over her body from the kiss.

"Damn, I should speak French more often."

"I'll teach you," Chloe husks out, teeth raking over her bottom lip to contain her sly grin. "I can teach you right now, in fact."

Beca laughs, tugging Chloe into her body. "I have a feeling all you're going to teach me tonight is dirty stuff."

Chloe hums with a long glance at Beca's lips. "Well, you do curse a lot so it would only be fitting."

"How does this work? Do I get to take a piece of clothing off you for each right answer?" Beca asks, cocking an eyebrow as she shamelessly lets her eyes trail down Chloe's length.

Chloe snickers. "I'm wearing a dress, so the game would be over in a second."

Beca clicks her tongue, then smirks. As beautiful as that dress is, it really needs to go. "Exactly."

" _Plus,_ I'm going commando."

Beca's eyes nearly bulge out of her head.

"Fuck." Beca is pretty sure her brain short-circuits over that piece of information, and her fingers dig into the material of Chloe's dress to keep from just trying to rip it off. Somehow she isn't sure its designer would be too happy with that. "You're going to be the death of me someday, Beale."

Chloe only giggles, then reaches for the zipper of her dress and Beca doesn't really know what happens in the following hour, except for the few mind-blowing orgasms which turn her entire body to jelly.

" _Are_ you dead?" Chloe rasps out as Beca slumps into the mattress. Grunting, she tries to give Chloe the finger as a comeback to her cockiness but her arm isn't responding.

"Smug doesn't suit you," she grumbles instead, then sighs contently as Chloe leaves a trail of gentle, feather-light kisses from her lower stomach up to her neck. She regains a little bit of her senses and manages to cup Chloe's face to kiss her deeply, a throaty moan escaping her mouth as she tastes herself on Chloe's tongue. "You're fucking amazing."

"Glad I delivered," Chloe smirks, holding herself up above Beca, still slightly out of breath. "We should go sex-toy shopping tomorrow."

A sputter of non-sense leaves Beca's mouth before she can form actual words in her fogged-up brain. "I - uh, what?"

Much better.

Chloe looks like she's trying really hard not to laugh too much, but the strain of her cheek muscles give her amusement away. "Not that I'm not entirely satisfied with our sex-life because I am but, you know, just to spice things up a little."

Beca's whole body feels like a bucket of lava was dumped onto it; scalding hot and about to melt into the mattress.

"And it's important to take pleasure when we're apart, too. Maybe it will take away a bit of the frustration of not actually being together, physically anyway."

"Y-yeah." Beca eventually lets out, clearing her throat as she knows her voice is bound to come out in an embarrassing squeaky tone. "Can't we like, do it online? I don't know how I feel about a trip to the sex-shop."

"Sure," Chloe kisses her lightly. "Oh! I think I actually have a discount on one website. Y'know, loyalty points."

Beca chokes on her own saliva. Of course Chloe does. She's never seen it, but Beca knows there's a box under her bed back at her place in Paris filled with kinky stuff.

"Did you, um, is that something you used often? With your exes, I mean. The um, the sex toys."

Beca knows she is blushing very hard, but to her relief, Chloe doesn't make fun of her. She gently moves off Beca to lie on her side and Beca rolls over to face her, setting one of her hand on Chloe's waist.

"It happened, with girls mostly. But it's mostly for my enjoyment when I'm on my own."

Beca casts her eyes down to the comforter. "Were you, with, um, a lot of girls?"

"In a relationship? No." Chloe answers softly. "I had a few flings here and there. It was when I had just moved to Paris, fresh out of college and I was just having fun. No feelings were involved or anything. You're the first."

"Oh." Beca lets out, not entirely sure how she feels about that.

Chloe's fingers trailing up and down her arm in a soothing manner draw her back to the conversation. "We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with, you know. Using toys, it's just an idea I had. Please don't feel like you have to do it just because I like it."

Beca shakes her head, squeezing Chloe's waist gently. "No, I... I've just never used a toy before so that's why I'm hesitant."

Chloe sets her hand over Beca's. "Well, you can think it over as long as you want. Like I said, no pressure. Our sex life is pretty incredible, so."

"Yeah," Beca agrees with a grin. She sobers up at the sudden thought fleeting in her brain and breaks eye-contact once more. "Can I, um... confess something?"

"Anything."

"Before our first night together I had... never felt the way I did then with a partner. I don't think I had ever, um..." Beca takes a deep breath. She can't really pinpoint why she's so embarrassed about this, especially when she knows Chloe will never mock her, but she is, and it makes spitting it out ten times harder. "...had an orgasm."

She feels the tip of her ears catch on fire and wants nothing more than to bury her face into the pillow and smother herself. Chloe blinks a couple times and the longer she remains silent, the more seriously Beca considers it.

"Oh."

Beca grunts, her hand leaving Chloe's body to cover her eyes. "I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"No, no, it's okay. Baby," Chloe rushes out, wrapping her fingers around Beca's wrist to tug her hand away from her face. "Sorry. I didn't mean to respond like that. I'm sorry."

Beca clears her throat, lowering her hand as she chances a glance at Chloe. "Yeah, so this whole enjoying sex thing is still fairly new to me."

Chloe's forehead creases in a frown. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, I know you didn't mean to say that." Beca says, straining up to kiss Chloe's forehead, in an attempts to make her frown go away.

Chloe shakes her head, hand moving up to hold Beca's cheek. "No, I mean I'm sorry that our time together was the first time you experienced that. It's an awfully long time to go without taking pleasure while with a partner."

Beca shrugs. "It's not like you know what you're missing when you've never had it. That's why I never really understood the hype about sex before you showed me how it was supposed to feel. I actually thought that maybe there was something wrong with me because I... _couldn't_ with – with guys."

Chloe gives her a reassuring smile. "Well, obviously there's nothing wrong with you, and either those guys didn't know what they were doing, or didn't care enough to make sure you had a good time, too. Or maybe... being with a guy was not your thing at all and you didn't know that yet."

"Probably a little bit of all three." Beca laughs awkwardly, feeling the added nerves over sharing this with Chloe steadily vanish from her body. She sighs and shuffles closer, slipping an arm around Chloe's waist to pull her against her. "That night and everything that followed made up for it, though. The way you were so cautious about not moving too fast because you could tell I was nervous and the way you made everything about me, to the point where you didn't let me return the favor because I was kinda out of it, it just... I guess I knew right then that there was no way you would be just a fling. You were already so much more, not – not because of the sex part but because of the way you cared about me when we had only met the same day."

Beca smiles, reaching up to draw a piece of Chloe's hair away from her face, then running her fingers down the top of her spine to let them drift in tiny circles between her shoulder blades.

"I just knew then that I had come across an incredible human being and I still have to pinch myself from time to time."

Chloe blows out a breath, eyes misty over Beca's words. She dips down to brush a soft, loving kiss to Beca's lips.

Beca is blindsided by the realization that if she had a ring, she would do the crazy thing of asking Chloe to marry her, right here, right now.

Because as far as she's concerned, Chloe is _it_.

/

As she and Chloe expected, it's not all rainbows and butterflies.

Like any couple, they fight once in a while. Over silly and serious things, often fueled by jealousy, missed dates, lack of communication or misunderstandings. Sometimes something dumb to start with spirals into something bigger because being apart to deal with it is harder.

It takes minutes, hours, sometimes days, but they make-up, either laughing at how ridiculous they can get, apologizing purposely for words or actions they never meant, but each time coming out of it a little bit stronger.

 **Beca [1:46 PM]**

 _Chlo, something came up at work, I can't do Skype tonight._

 **Beca [1:46 PM]**

 _Some cocktail party for the label. I completely forgot about it._

 **Beca [1:46 PM]**

 _I'm sorry. :(_

 **Chloe [1:53 PM]**

 _Oh. Well can we do tomorrow?_

 **Beca [1:54 PM]**

 _I have a photoshoot all day tomorrow for Rolling Stone._

 **Chloe [1:54 PM]**

 _Won't you have a break? We haven't been able to call each other at all last week either, Bec._

 **Beca [1:56 PM]**

 _I know, I know. I'll see what I can do. Maybe I can call you after the party?_

 **Chloe [1:57 PM]**

 _I'll definitely be asleep. You know what, it's okay. We can catch up whenever._

The lack of emoji tells Beca it's anything but okay.

 **Beca [1:57 PM]**

 _I'm sorry Chlo_

 **Chloe [1:57 PM]**

 _Yeah, you've said that._

Beca groans, banging the back of her head several time against her seat in frustration.

"Trouble in paradise?" Beca looks up to find Stacie smirking at her from across the room.

"Why are you here again?" she mutters, trying to wrack her brain for a response to that last text.

"Um, I was being a nice best friend and brought you lunch," Stacie points out and Beca's shoulders slump. She has been so busy that she couldn't meet Stacie for lunch so Stacie had stopped at the deli to get food and brought it to the studio so that Beca could work as she ate.

"Right. Sorry." Beca sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Relationships are complicated."

Stacie hums in agreement. "That's why I don't do those."

Sighing, Beca turns back to her phone.

 **Beca [2:01 PM]**

 _Are you mad?_

 **Chloe [2:02 PM]**

 _Not mad, just disappointed._

 **Beca [2:02 PM]**

 _Come on, everyone knows that's worse. Look, I'm sorry, I can't remember everything all the time. You know how busy it gets sometimes._

 **Chloe [2:03 PM]**

 _No, not really. Sorry, I'm just a photographer, not a celebrity._

Beca recoils, frowning heavily. She pauses the mix she has been working on for the last two hours and takes off her headphones.

 **Beca [2:04 PM]**

 _Where the hell is this coming from?_

When Chloe doesn't reply in the following hour, and Beca finds herself unable to focus on work, she shoots up from her seat and stalks up to the roof to make the phone call. Chloe replies on the fifth ring, as though having debated whether or not she wanted to pick-up.

" _Hello?"_

"Were you just going to ignore me?"

" _I didn't want to take up any of your time, since you're so busy."_ Chloe coldly replies.

Beca barks out a humorless laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. "Are you actually being serious right now?"

" _Look, if you called to be like this, you shouldn't have bothered."_

" _I'm_ like this!?" Beca cries out, jaw dropping in astonishment. "You're the one who is being a bitch here, not me."

Beca can nearly hear the flare in Chloe's nostrils down the line. Chloe doesn't say anything but the tension translates through the device.

"Chloe," she says more softly, heaving out a sigh. "I'm not hanging up until you tell me why you've said that."

Chloe lets out a long sigh after a long pause during which Beca had to pull her phone away from her ear to see if the call was still going.

" _There was this... article on People about you and this chick you're collaborating with and rumors that the two of you are dating and while I know it's not true, comments below the articles implied that it was good on you, because you could do so much better than being with a simple photographer."_

Beca's eyes screw shut. She knew making their relationship official would somehow backfire.

"Baby, why do you read this stuff? It's complete bullshit, nothing but click bait."

" _I_ _ **know**_ _. Someone sent it to me on Instagram and I got curious. I shouldn't have read the comments."_

"People comment on this type of articles because they don't have anything interesting going on with their lives and find it fun to stuff their noses in others'. It's been that way ever since the social media hype happened and it's most likely to get worse." Beca explains patiently. "I'm over it now, and while I know it's not easy, you will at some point, too. I couldn't care less about what those people think about me, or my personal life. They don't know what's going on under the wraps and how happy you make me and how I can't imagine myself with anybody else. And regarding the simple photographer part, well, that's simply not true. You are the best photographer I know."

" _You're just saying that,"_ Chloe says timidly.

"No, I'm not." Beca replies firmly. "I'm not saying that because you're my girlfriend. I'm saying that because I've met a lot of so-called photographers in this business and I've had the pleasure to work with you and watching you do your magic, so I think I know what I'm talking about. More than those people. Incredible is the word I would use to describe you and your talent. Not simple."

Chloe makes a little noise on the other end of the line. _"I... Thank you."_

"Just stating the truth." Beca answers simply, with a shrug that she realizes Chloe can't see. "You need to tell me about this stuff if it bothers you. Social media can be intense and I don't want you to get caught in something crazy."

" _I will in the future, I promise."_ Chloe groans. _"I'm sorry for being a bitch."_

"Sorry I called you that. I know it's just frustration." Beca exhales in relief that this didn't blow out of proportion. "And I'm sorry about our Skype date. It's the second time in a row I mess up and you're right, it's not cool. I should be more organized and shit."

" _It's okay. I understand, I've just been wired lately and I miss you more than you know."_

Beca smiles sadly. "I'll do my best to take a break tomorrow. It won't be a proper date but we'll get to see each other's faces at least."

" _I'd like that. I miss your grumpy face."_

"Hey," Beca reprimands weakly. They share a laugh and Beca sighs. "I have to go back to work."

" _Okay. Don't forget to drink water. And eat!"_

Beca chuckles. "I'm a grown adult, but thanks for reminding me."

" _I'm just trying to be an attentive girlfriend even from thousands of miles away. Don't work yourself to exhaustion, okay?"_

"Promise. Love you,"

The undeniable smile in Chloe's voice makes Beca's heart flutter. _"Je t'aime aussi. Plus que tout au monde."_

Beca knows there are bound to be other arguments, but she isn't worried about their ability to jump over the hurdles standing in their path.

Not anymore.

/

Beca lets out a content sigh as she gets out of the Italian shower and reaches for the big fluffy towel on the counter to wrap it around herself.

Her head is aching, her body is screaming for some rest, but her mind is still wired from her last performance, and she knows it will take a little while before she can settle down to get some sleep.

The soft music coming from Chloe's Bluetooth speaker is drifting inside the bathroom from the bedroom and Beca smiles and hums along as she goes through her before-bed routine.

After washing her face off the excess amount of stage make-up and applying a good amount of cream onto her skin, she slips into a loose T shirt and the most comfortable sweatpants she owns.

"What are you doing?" Beca groans as she covers her face with her hands, stilling in the doorway. The offender sitting against the headboard of the bed only snickers. " _Dude_ , no more pictures."

"I'm doing what I'm being paid for." Chloe points out, lowering her camera. "Capturing you in your relaxed, natural state is also part of BTS, you know."

"But I just washed my face! My dark circles are going to scare people off!" Beca whines, dropping her hands back to her side as she dramatically drags herself to the bed, features twisted in a frown.

It's day twenty or twenty-one, she isn't sure anymore. They are currently in Phoenix, Arizona on the final leg of her tour. It's been exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. Beca loves to perform, she loves to make her fans happy, but what she loves even more is unwinding at night after her concert, and Chloe's presence helps a lot with that.

It's their first night in a hotel in a while, and Beca is glad to be spending it on a real bed as opposed to the bunk at the back of the tour bus and being granted the intimacy that comes with having a hotel suite to themselves.

"Nonsense," Chloe murmurs, cupping Beca's face with both hands and kissing her soundly when she sits down next to her. "You look beautiful and I think getting a look at this part of you will only make your fans love you more."

Beca crawls until she's more or less draped over Chloe, mumbling something she herself can't even register in the soft material of Chloe's sweater. Chloe frees her arm from where it's pinned by her side to wrap it around Beca's back, running her hand up and down her spine in a soothing manner.

Beca lets out a heavy sigh. "M tired."

Warm lips press a kiss to her forehead. "Only a few more days, baby. Then we're going on that road-trip."

"Mm. I can't wait," Beca smiles and lifts her head to kiss Chloe's chin. "I'm really glad you're on this tour with me."

Chloe sighs happily, dropping a kiss in Beca's hair. "I'm really glad you asked me to be a part of it."

Beca feels the droop of her eyelids, encouraged by the patterns Chloe is absentmindedly drawing over her back.

"You know..." Beca drawls out, slightly shaking herself awake from her light slumber. She slides her hand under Chloe's top, relishing the feeling of Chloe's warm and smooth skin under her fingertips.

Chloe arches an eyebrow. "What?"

"I never used that full-body massage coupon."

"Oh." Chloe beams, wiggling her eyebrows. "I thought you were tired?"

"So? I'm not allowed to fall asleep?"

Chloe chuckles, smoothing down Beca's hair with her hand. "It's a _full_ body massage, Bec."

"Oh," Beca lets out, flush rapidly washing over her face. "Well – " she swallows the sudden dryness in her mouth. "I'm sure I have some energy left somewhere."

"Of course you do." Chloe hums. "Alright then, take you top off and lie on your stomach while I get the oil."

Grinning, Beca rolls off Chloe and does as she's told, fiddling with her nails as she waits for her girlfriend to come back. Chloe is humming along to the song playing on her phone when she walks back, and sets the oil on the bedside table before straddling Beca's hips.

"You're tense, baby," Chloe muses after a while as she gently kneads the knots in Beca's shoulders.

"Mm, it's all the dancing on stage," she deadpans. There's very-limited dancing on stage because she just sucks at it and her team came up with the most simple choreography.

Chloe snickers. "Sure."

"Well, and also because I am meeting your parents tomorrow." Chloe focuses on that particular spot at the base of her spine that has stars go off behind Beca's eyes, and she can't contain a satisfied moan. "Man, you're amazing at this."

"Are you actually nervous about meeting them?"

"Well, _yeah_." Beca answers in a tone that translates the obviousness of the answer. "It's your _parents_."

"My parents, who love you already, so chill," Chloe leans down to press her lips to Beca's shoulder-blade. "Just be yourself."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Beca grumbles into the pillow. "Have you met me?"

"Stop it." Chloe warns, delivering a light swat to Beca's backside.

"Hey!" Beca half-heartedly reprimands. "The coupon didn't say this was a kinky massage."

Chloe giggles. "Stop belittling yourself. You are an amazing, dedicated and loving girlfriend, not to mention an incredible human being all around, and my parents already know that. They are thrilled for me. For _us_."

Meeting Chloe's parents turns out to be not as scary as Beca originally thought. They put her at ease right away, even if Chloe's mother's hug is a bit overwhelming and nearly cuts off her oxygen intake for the ten seconds it lasts. Chloe's dad is a bit more reserved, but Beca immediately notes that Chloe got her kind, genuine feature from him, while her bubbliness and determination definitely comes from her mom.

"See? They love you." Chloe whispers into her ear as they walk home hand in hand after eating out. Beca squeezes Chloe's fingers, twisting her head to smile at her. " _I_ love you."

"I love you, too." Beca comes to a stop, body stirring towards Chloe's to lay a small peck on her lips. Chloe grins against her mouth, her free hand hiking up to hold Beca's jaw as she tilts her head to deepen the kiss. "Chloe,"

Chloe catches her pointedly glancing at her parents, who are walking ahead of them.

"They know we kiss, Beca." She says with a laugh, and Beca knows what she's going to say next before the words even reach Chloe's tongue. "And they know we do more than kissing, too."

Beca's face catches on fire before she can control it. Her body shimmers in an exaggerated shudder. "Yeah... we're not having sex tonight."

Chloe rolls her eyes skyward. "You're being dramatic."

"Well, I want to stay on your parents' good books. I don't think they would look at me in the eye if they so much as hear a moan through the hotel room walls. I know _I_ wouldn't."

She keeps to herself the fact that she has an important question to ask Chloe's parents before they part ways in a couple days and she needs all the help she can get.

It's tricky to find a long-enough moment with them both without Chloe around, and it just happens to be during breakfast the following morning, when Chloe announces she's going back to the room to take a shower.

Beca kind of sputters it out, and she's not sure she's actually making any sense; her face feel hot, her palms are heavily sweating and her heart is about to escape from her chest and run from the scene. To her shock, Chloe's parents simply smile, not surprised in the least, and tell her they're happy for she and Chloe.

Beca feels her chest expand in both awe and pride from the unspoken trust Chloe's parents have in her when it comes to their daughter's happiness, and she knows she will do everything in her power to never prove them wrong.

/

Beca is close to pulling her hair out. This song arrangement isn't working and no matter how many hours she's spent on it already, she can't figure out why.

It doesn't help that her mind is still elsewhere, filled with images of red curls blowing through the wind and blue eyes sparkling with happiness.

She came home from the road-trip late last night, she and Chloe saying goodbye when Beca had to board her plane back to New York.

After spending nearly seven weeks together, saying goodbye without exactly knowing when they would see each other next was incredibly hard.

The chime of her cellphone by her side is a welcome distraction from letting her thoughts dwell too much on her aching heart.

 **Hot Stuff [10:47 AM]**

 _Just made it back to my place._

 _ **Hot Stuff**_ **[10:47 AM]**

 _I miss you already and I hope you're not slaving too much at work._

 **Beca [10:48 AM]**

 _I miss you, too._

 **Beca [10:48 AM]**

 _And when did you change your name in my phone?_

 **Hot Stuff** **[10:48 AM]**

 _Mm. Wouldn't you like to know._

 **Beca [10:49 AM]**

 _Sneak. Am I allowed to change it?_

 **Hot Stuff** **[10:49 AM]**

 _To what? :(_

Beca grins and quickly goes to Chloe's contact page, typing in a new nickname, changing the goofy picture of Chloe she has had all this time for a fresh one of the two of them taken during their road-trip, then takes a screenshot and sends it to her.

 **My love ❤ [10:50 AM]**

 _Awwww_

 **My love ❤ [10:50 AM]**

 _You're totes adorbs baby_

 **Beca [10:50 AM]**

 _Yeah, yeah._

 **Beca [10:51 AM]**

 _What's my name in yours?_

Chloe doesn't reply right away and Beca finds herself unable to focus on anything else until she replies.

 **My love ❤ [10:53 AM]**

 _Superstar._

 **My love ❤ [10:53 AM]**

 _But I change it up fairly often. From Hot Piece of Ass (that one was a bit too long), Mon Amour, Sexy, America's number 1, Sweetie Pie... :D_

 **My love ❤ [10:54 AM]**

 _It's kinda exciting, I feel like I have more than one lover. ;) ;) ;)_

 **Beca [10:54 AM]**

 _Sweetie Pie? Seriously? I think I have the right to veto this._

 **My love ❤ [10:54 AM]**

 _Fine. I won't use that one again, Honeybuns._

 **Beca [10:55 AM]**

 _CHLOE_

 **My love ❤ [10:55 AM]**

 _You're too easy, babe._

 **My love ❤ [10:55 AM]**

 _I'm going to take a nap. Remember to take a break at some point today._

 **Beca [10:56 AM]**

 _Yes, dear._

 **My love ❤ [10:55 AM]**

By mid-afternoon, Beca's groove is back and thriving, to the point where she's not sure when she's going to stop. Her eyes are starting to sting from staring at the computer screen for the last five hours, and her shoulders and neck are aching from being hunched over, but taking a break when her mind is buzzing with so many ideas is not an option.

A knock on the door, however, interrupts her flow. She cuts her gaze to her assistant.

"What's up?"

"This was delivered for you," Rachel says, setting a paper bag and a paper cup on her desk. "I'm guessing it's from Chloe."

Beca looks into the bag to find a salad from her favorite deli near her place, along with a soup. Taking a sip from the cup, she moans at the taste of her to-go order; a latte with one pump of caramel.

"Yeah. Definitely Chloe," she confirms, sitting back in her chair contently. "Thanks Rach."

Grabbing her phone, Beca types a quick message.

 **Beca [3:15 PM]**

 _Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?_

Chloe's response is instant and has warmth spread in her belly.

 **My love ❤ [3:15 PM]**

 _Yes :D_

 **My love ❤ [3:15 PM]**

 _Enjoying the coffee?_

 **Beca [3:15 PM]**

 _Exactly what I needed. Thank you, Chlo._

 **My love ❤ [3:16 PM]**

 _Welcome, baby. Take a proper break ok? Knowing you, you haven't stopped since we last texted._

 **Beca [3:16 PM]**

 _I will. Did you have a good nap?_

 **My love ❤ [3:17 PM]**

 _Yeah. I'm just on my way to the gallery to fix the first round of film from your tour._

 **Beca [3:17 PM]**

 _Can't wait to see them._

 **My love ❤ [3:17 PM]**

 _:D_

 **My love ❤ [3:17 PM]**

 _About to take the metro. Love you!_

 **Beca [3:18 PM]**

 _Love you, too, Hot Stuff ;)_

 _/_

 **Beca [1:07 PM]**

 _You are amazing._

 **Beca [1:07 PM]**

 _I don't think I'll ever cease to be blown away by your talent._

Beca sets her phone down and shuffles through the file of pictures Chloe sent her label last night once more. Some are goofy, like the one where she pouts while waiting in the freezing cold of Toronto, a thick coat three times her size engulfing her frame, some more serious as she mentally prepares for a performance or goes through soundchecks with her musicians.

The fifty monochrome snapshots portray an array of different moods and emotions, and she's once more awestruck by how accurately Chloe seems to be able to capture them.

 **My love ❤ [1:10 PM]**

 _You really like them?_

 **Beca [1:10 PM]**

 _Chloe, they are phenomenal. You are phenomenal._

 **My love ❤ [1:10 PM]**

 _Thank you baby._

 **My love ❤ [1:11 PM]**

 _This was probably one of the best experiences of my career so far and I'm so grateful I got to stand by the sidelines, watching my girlfriend own it every single night._

 **My love ❤ [1:11 PM]**

 _I have one more to send you._

 **Beca [1:11 PM]**

 _Oh?_

 **My love ❤ [1:13 PM]**

 _Check your inbox_

Beca glances up to see a new e-mail sitting in her inbox. She clicks on it and opens the attached document. It's not a photo from the tour, but one from the road-trip they took after the tour wrap-up.

Beca is driving, shades sitting on her eyes as she holds the wheel with one hand, the other one out of the frame and presumably resting on Chloe's thigh. Chloe shot the picture while Beca was mid-laugh, her attention momentarily off the road as she looks towards the camera.

She remembers that moment clearly, the mere memory of it making her grin; Chloe had accepted the challenge to rap to Eminem for a whole song and the result was both adorable and cringe-funny.

A bunch of butterflies erupt from the pit of her stomach as she gazes at the carefree happiness reflected in her features.

 **Beca [1:15 PM]**

 _That's my face listening to your rapping "skills"_

 **My love ❤ [1:15 PM]**

 _Those quotation marks hurt. :(_

 **My love ❤ [1:15 PM]**

 _Thanks for crushing my dreams of a rap career._

 **Beca [1:15 PM]**

 _Chlo, I love you, but no._

 **Beca [1:15 PM]**

 _You should stick to photography._

 **My love ❤ [1:16 PM]**

 _* GASP *_

 **My love ❤ [1:16 PM]**

 _Fine._

 **Beca [1:16 PM]**

 _Thank you for the picture, love. I look disgustingly happy and I'll make sure no one else sees it to maintain my cold and scary persona._

 _ **My love ❤ [1:16 PM]**_

 _Sure._

 **My love ❤ [1:16 PM]**

 _It looks good on you. I love that smile 3_

 **Beca [1:17 PM]**

 _You're going to make fun of me for how cheesy it sounds, but you're the reason behind it._

 **My love ❤ [1:17 PM]**

 _I can't make fun of you when that's exactly what you are for me, too._

 **My love ❤ [1:17 PM]**

 _And I can't really put into words just how lucky I feel to have you in my life._

Beca closes her eyes briefly and sighs, trying to get rid of the longing feeling invading her chest. What she would do to hold Chloe in her arms, right now.

 **Beca [1:17 PM]**

 _I miss you so fucking much._

 **My love ❤ [1:17 PM]**

 _Tu me manques, aussi._

 _/_

"Stay put, I'll be right there!" Beca says breathlessly, pointing a finger at Chloe's face through the screen. She hears Chloe's giggle as she jogs down the hall and quickly switches her jeans for comfy sweatpants and trades her button down shirt for a loose tee and a plaid shirt that she leaves open. Running back to the living-room, Beca makes a stop by the kitchen to grab herself a beer from the fridge, uncaps it and plops down on the couch, probably flushed and even more out of breath. "Ready."

" _I could have waited, you know. Our date doesn't have to start at 5:00 PM sharp, babe,"_ Chloe says while Beca takes the time to look at her for the first time in a whole week. _"I'd rather you be late than being reckless in traffic to make it on time."_

"Okay, first, I took a cab home," Beca starts, lifting her pointer finger to demonstrate. "Second, I'm trying to be a good girlfriend here and make it on time to make up for the two or three times I was unable to make that date. And third," she pauses to take a breath. "You look gorgeous."

She compliments, lips tugging upwards into a smile as her eyes dance from Chloe's recently trimmed hair perfectly framing her face, her red lips and light make-up.

" _Thank you,"_ Chloe murmurs, the top of her cheeks coloring. _"I'm so happy to see you."_

"Ditto," Beca adjusts her computer over her thighs before she takes a swig of her beer. She sits back on the couch, glad that it's Friday with no plans for the weekend, for once. "How was your day?"

" _It was slow. Not that many customers this time of year so I mostly developed negatives and updated my website this week. But that's not important, 'cause guess what?"_

Chloe's excited tone and features make Beca grin. "Got nominated for another award?"

" _No,"_ Chloe rolls her eyes. _"We've just reached under two years."_ Upon Beca's quizzical expression, she adds, _"on the countdown app!"_

"Two years?" Beca makes a show of widening her eyes as she reaches up to rub the back of her neck. "So... it's too late to backtrack now, isn't it? Or do I still have under the year-mark?"

Chloe's glare sends her into a fit of laughter. _"Beca."_

"I'm kidding, _obviously_." Beca sobers up from the slouched position she adopted over her laughter. "I actually spoke to Jerry a few weeks ago, about my contract."

She had wanted to tell Chloe about it right away, but preferred to have something set in stone before announcing anything.

Letting out a gasp, Chloe sits up, visibly growing nervous. _"What did he say?"_

"He said that there's nothing keeping me after my contract ends and that he would even call some labels he's worked with in France if I want to sign over there. But he also made me a proposition I really can't refuse,"

Beca sees it then, the flash of anguish dancing in Chloe's eyes. She knows what Chloe's thinking, that she has to stay in NYC because the promises for her career are greater than they would be in Paris.

" _Okay,"_ she drawls out through difficult swallow.

"He asked me if I would like to manage my own branch of the label overseas. In Paris, to be exact."

Chloe's jaw slowly drops open. _"Are you_ _ **serious**_ _?"_

"Pretty serious," Beca confirms, teeth sinking in her bottom lip to get a hold of her face-splitting grin. "Apparently it's something he has been thinking of for quite a while. Not necessarily in Paris, but seeing as I want to move out there, it would work out pretty well. He and I would become partners, basically. And I would be in charge of signing new artists, like I'm doing now, just not with rising artists but with all of them."

" _That's..."_ Chloe hands fly up to set on both her cheeks in slight shock, as she stares at Beca with stars lighting up her eyes. _"Oh my God."_

"Yeah." Beca lets out dreamily, because it does still feel like a dream and her stomach is still jumping around from both apprehension and excitement over the news. "It's big. I don't know if I have the shoulders for it, but I guess we'll see."

" _Are you kidding?"_ Chloe's tone leaks with bewilderment. _"I don't think I know anyone with a stronger work ethic than you. You have this amazing ability to fish out new talents and bust your ass until they reach the top, like you did with Emily. I'm not worried for a second and I'm so, so thrilled for you and your career."_

"Thanks, Chlo," Beca breathes out, closing her eyes briefly. If the distance is hard through difficult times, it's also a strain when one of them has good news to share and they are unable to properly celebrate. "Are you ready for the other good news?"

Chloe takes a deep, collecting lungful of air and nods.

"Jerry wants to launch this before the end of next year. He already has locations he wants to visit out there in Paris so..."

" _You'd move here before the two years are up?"_

"Most likely."

A small whimper escapes Chloe's parted lips as tears fill her eyes at a rapid pace. _"I don't know what to say."_

"Chlo," Beca says affectionately, tilting her head to the side.

Chloe shrugs, reaching up to wipe her eyes. _"I'm just super happy right now."_

"So am I." Beca smiles, inhaling slowly through the ache in her chest and the longing in her heart to gather Chloe in her arms and never let go. "You want the third good news?"

Choking on a sob, Chloe shakes her head before catching herself. _"I mean, yes. I might have a coronary, but yes."_

"Jerry is going to check out those locations next week and I'm coming with."

" _Next week?"_ Chloe croaks out with dumbfounded features. _"You're flying to Paris next week?"_

"Only for four days, but yeah." Beca affirms with a crooked smile. "So... can I take you out on a date next Thursday?"

" _I'll have to check with my other girlfriend and see what she's planned, but I can definitely make things work."_

"Ha, ha," Beca deadpans with an eye-roll. "Funny."

Chloe grins sheepishly. _"I'm all yours, baby. Next Thursday and for as long as you'll have me."_

Beca sucks in a quick, discreet breath. She thinks about the conversation she has had with Chloe's parents just over three months ago and how they told her they couldn't be more thrilled that Chloe had found someone like Beca.

"Good to know," she replies after a beat, adding a wink for good measure. "Movie?"

" _Yes!"_

"Which one are we watching tonight?"

" _I was thinking Walk The Line? You're already making the effort of watching a movie so I thought something about music would be nice?"_

"Sounds good," she says, shrinking the Skype window to set the movie up on Netflix. "Is your popcorn ready?"

" _Shoot!"_ Chloe exclaims, the image bouncing as she moves her laptop off her lap. _"The popcorn!"_

She vanishes from the screen, Beca shouting after her, "I don't know what you would do without me!"

It takes a couple minutes for Chloe to pop back onto the screen, Beca lifting her gaze from her phone to smile at her girlfriend. She tosses the device aside and takes another sip from her beer, frowning when she realizes Chloe is just staring at her with an odd expression.

"What?"

Chloe shakes her head, as if to make sure her head is screwed on straight. _"I just can't believe this is happening. You moving out here."_

"Well, you better start believing it, Beale, before I show up with a U-haul in your street, like a proper lesbian."

Chloe snickers. _"I think three years is already too long to fit in that stereotype, Becs."_

"Damn it," Beca mutters teasingly. She sighs and tries to get comfortable, wishing she was cuddling with Chloe instead of alone on her leather couch. "For the record, I can't really believe it either and I can't wait to wake-up next to you every morning."

" _Love you,"_ Chloe murmurs, blowing Beca a kiss. _"Okay, let's start this before I fall asleep on you."_

"Right." Beca reaches out to hold her finger just above the space bar to start the movie. "Ready?" she waits for Chloe's nod. "3, 2, 1, go!"

" _We're getting good at this,"_ Chloe compliments as she settles under her blanket, bowl of popcorn cradled in her arms. _"We should totally get our long-distance-relationship stamp of approval."_

Beca laughs endearingly. "I don't think that's a thing, babe."

Chloe sends her a playful glare. _"Don't crush my spirits, Becs."_

Half-an-hour into the movie, Chloe is uncharacteristically quiet, and Beca realized she's fallen asleep when her eyes flicker up to the Skype window in the top-left corner of her screen. Sighing, she still watches the rest of the movie in case Chloe drifts out of her slumber and wonders where she's gone, but also because the movie itself is kind of enjoyable.

"Goodnight, love." She whispers as the credits roll out, taking one last look at her peaceful girlfriend before shutting her laptop with another soft sigh.

Six days.

Six days until she can hold Chloe in her arms again.

/

 **Beca [3:56 PM]**

 _Just landed in Paris._

 **My love ❤ [3:58 PM]**

 _Squeeeee :D :D :D_

Beca smiles, shouldering her carry-on as she steps off the plane.

 **Beca [3:59 PM]**

 _Jerry and I are checking out a few places this afternoon._

 **Beca [3:59 PM]**

 _I'll pick you up at seven for our date._

 **My love ❤ [4:04 PM]**

 _What should I wear?_

 **Beca [4:04 PM]**

 _Preferably something that doesn't take too much work to get you out of._

 **My love ❤ [4:04 PM]**

 _On it ;) ;)_

Beca takes a quick, collecting breath to try and get her body temperature under control. She's for now in a professional setting and if she lets her mind wander to Chloe's outfit, and subsequently, to Chloe's body, which she hasn't touched in over two months, she knows the afternoon is bound to last forever.

At seven PM sharp, Beca finds herself in front of Chloe's door. Anticipation making her fingers tingle, Beca raises her hand to the bell and presses it.

The sight that greets her is enough to make her mouth dry up and her brain to momentarily short-circuit. Chloe's flower-patterned light blue summer dress makes her eyes pop out more than usual, and their intensity makes Beca's knees quiver.

"Hi," Chloe murmurs, leaning against her open door. She laughs at Beca's frozen expression. "Are you going to come in or do you plan on standing there?"

Shaking herself out of the fog, Beca steps in, waits for Chloe to close the door before she pushes against her shoulder to press her against it, claiming her lips with hers the following beat.

Chloe smiles against her lips, hands drifting to cup Beca's neck to tug her closer. "I've missed you."

"Me too," Beca's free hand curls around Chloe's hip as she presses herself closer, a moan leaving their mouths in sync. She kisses Chloe once more, reluctantly backing away before things get too heated and they miss their reservation. "Tu es magnifique."

Chloe draws in a breath, seemingly not indifferent to Beca speaking French, either. "Thank you, baby."

"Here, um," she lifts her other hand, extending the bouquet of wild flowers she picked up on the way over. "These are for you."

Chloe beams, plucking them out of Beca's hold. "You're really taking this date seriously, huh?"

Cheeks warming up under Chloe's gaze, Beca breaks eye-contact briefly. "I realized on the plane that I had never really taken you out on a real date, because every time we're in the same city, I'm either living with you, or you living with me. So I wanted to do properly by picking you up and – and getting you flowers."

"You're too sweet," Chloe says through a smile, pecking Beca's lips. "I'll put these in some water."

Beca takes the opportunity to wander around Chloe's living-room for the first time in seven months. It hasn't changed much, but Beca notices a few additions since she was last over, pieces of her here and there.

The hoodie that once belonged to her and Chloe wouldn't give back after she spent Christmas in Paris thrown over the back of the couch, a copy of the photo of the two of them from their road-trip hung up on the wall next to the window, the album she co-wrote with Emily sitting on top of Chloe's stereo, or the sticker of her label stuck on the back of Chloe's computer.

Chloe strides back into the room, a light jacket sitting on her shoulders and sneakers on her feet.

"Where are we going?" She asks as she comes to a stop in front of Beca, sliding her arms around her waist. "Is it a surprise?"

Beca drapes hers over her shoulder and kisses the corner of her mouth. "We're going to your favorite neighborhood in Paris."

"La Butte-aux-Cailles?" Chloe asks, eyes lighting up in excitement.

Beca nods with a small smile. "I was thinking we would go to _Chez Nathalie_ for dinner and then have drinks at _Le Merle Moqueur_?"

A toothy smile spreading on her face, Chloe shakes her head lightly. "I can't believe you remember all of this."

It goes back to the first time Beca was in Paris. Over the month of July, Chloe took her to all her favorite places in the capital. Nestled in one of the young working-class neighborhoods on the other side of _La Seine,_ the restaurant is small but lively, its patrons coming from all types of backgrounds and ethnicity. Chloe had then dragged her to the even smaller bar where they had shared stories over glasses of wine, until the bar gently shooed them out at closing time.

She was originally planning on taking Chloe to the restaurant up in the Eiffel Tower but quickly changed her mind. Over the two years they have been dating, Beca has learned Chloe prefers simple, family restaurants to chic and expensive ones. Part of it has to do with the fact that she likes to chat with the waiter or the couple on the next table over, but mostly because of the warm, lively mood that never fails to make her smile the second she steps inside.

Just like she's learned how Chloe prefers wild flowers (daisies being her favorites) to immaculate roses or would rather walk hom or take the subway than a cab or a private car, because she likes to soak in the street atmosphere or the hustle and bustle of public transport.

"I love those places," Beca replies with a fond smile. She loves them because that's where she fell more and more in love with Chloe, over delicious food and shared stories. "And I can't wait to discover more of those hidden gems throughout Paris."

"I'm so happy you're here." Chloe murmurs, leaning in to kiss her sweetly.

"Me, too." Beca nudges her nose against Chloe, dipping in for another soft kiss before backing away. "Ready?"

"I just need to grab my camera, since my favorite subject is in town," Chloe grins while Beca rolls her eyes, even if she has come far from her initial discomfort around lenses pointed at her.

When they get to the restaurant, Beca insists on being the one to order their food to practice on her French a bit more, and Chloe teaches her all the words on the menu while they wait for their meals.

They drink way too much wine and make the last call of the bar once again, Chloe stating they should walk home because it's a beautiful night, ignoring Beca's protests about wanting to get her out of that dress as soon as possible.

"Come on, Grumpy," Chloe teases as she tugs on Beca's hand. "It's not that far."

"Agreed, it's only three subway stops from here."

Chloe tuts at her with a glare. "I want to show you something."

"It better be good, because guess what," she swiftly loops an arm around Chloe's waist, swallowing the noise of surprise flying through Chloe's lips by slanting her own across them. She kisses Chloe languidly, one hand cupping her cheek while the other one holds her close. "I really want you."

"We'll get to that," Chloe whispers, seemingly immune to Beca's charm.

Beca groans but still follows her, dragging her feet for a stretch, only to have Chloe glare at her. They wind through small cobblestones streets, Chloe pausing here and there snap a few pictures, immediately reaching for Beca's hand and lacing her fingers with hers when she's done.

As Chloe twists her head to smile at her when they resume walking, Beca's mind randomly wanders to the couple she saw walking down the street in Toulouse a few summers ago. They looked so in love, and she remembers wishing she could find the same type of happiness.

She falters, her heart growing to twice its size at the realization that she had found that thing, that person that makes her so happy she just wants to kiss her under the starry sky.

And she does just so.

"Hold on," Beca requests quietly, gently tugging on Chloe's hand to get her to stop. Wordlessly, she comes to stand in front of her, the scuffs of their shoes bumping together from their proximity. She captures Chloe's lips with hers then, in a kiss that's soft and gentle and loving, a kiss that steals the air from Chloe's lungs.

A kiss full of gratefulness for the past and present, and full of promises for the future.

Chloe blinks at her when they part, eyes dazed in surprise. "What was that for?"

"Just because I wanted to," Beca explains with a simple shrug.

Chloe smiles, draping an arm over her shoulders. "That sounds familiar."

"And because I love you."

She kisses Chloe again, and again, grinning at the giggle that flits through her lips.

"At this rate, we'll never get there, Becs." Chloe murmurs across her mouth a minute later, stilling Beca's hand creeping up the back of her thigh.

"Awesome, let's go home."

"You're insatiable." Chloe mumbles with an eye-roll. She kisses Beca to placate any other form of protest before it can even reach Beca's tongue. "I promise you'll like it."

They hike way too many steps that have Beca panting for breath and making a deal with herself to start going to the gym, and then Chloe's stopping in front of a building Beca has never seen before.

"Where are we?" Beca asks as Chloe enters the digital code and pushes the heavy wooden door open.

"I used to live in this building when I first moved back to Paris." Chloe explains as she starts toward the stairs.

"What? Isn't this like, trespassing now that you don't live here anymore?"

Chloe rolls her eyes. "We're fine."

They walk up the seven ( _seven_ ) flights of stairs, before Chloe abruptly stops at the landing and looks up. Beca follows her gaze to find a window in the ceiling.

"What are you doing?" Beca hisses as Chloe walks to the wall to unhook a small ladder from it. Chloe ignores her, placing the ladder against the ledge of the window and tucking it in a locking position. "Chloe!"

"Shush," Chloe placates her once more. "I know what I'm doing."

"Getting us arrested?"

"Oh, take a chill pill, Becs. We're not going to commit a crime." Chloe climbs a few steps and reaches up to unlock the window and push it upwards. She climbs the rest of the way and eases herself onto the roof, popping her hand in the space and waving her fingers towards herself. "Come on,"

A string of mumbled protests leaves Beca's mouth before she sighs in resignation and follows up.

"Close your eyes," Chloe whispers once she's tugged Beca up onto the large roof. Frowning, Beca does as she's told and lets Chloe lead her along the zinc roof covers.

"This is how I die, isn't it?" she asks, screwing her already shut eyes.

"Would you quit being so dramatic?" Chloe says with a laugh as she stops. "Okay. Now turn around and open your eyes."

Any form of complaint dies on Beca's tongue the second she takes in the sight before her. The Eiffel Tower stands tall and bright in its shining glory, peaking from the lines of rooftops similar to the one the one they are standing on.

Contrary to the city that never sleeps, Paris is silent, save from soft jazz music drifting from an open window in the building across from them. Beca has trouble blinking away from the breathtaking view, until Chloe hugs her from behind, resting her chin over her shoulder.

"Wow,"

Chloe grins into her neck. "Told you it would be worth it."

"It's beautiful." Beca muses, both hands coming up to rest over Chloe's ones laced over her stomach. "You come here often?"

"Not as much as when I lived in the building, obviously," Chloe states. "When I moved out here after college, I would often find myself wondering if I had made the right choice leaving the States and pursuing a career that seemed very rickety at the time. Coming up here at night brought me some sort of peace from my thoughts and reminded me just how much I love Paris and couldn't live anywhere else."

Beca smiles, spinning in Chloe arms to kiss her gently. "I can understand why, and I'm happy I'm moving out here."

Beca thinks that, in that moment, all the stars lighting the sky fall into Chloe's eyes. "Yeah?"

While she was sure she was making the right decision, part of her was still anxious to move across the ocean and leave the people she knew behind.

Now though, as she takes in the unfiltered happiness radiating off Chloe's entire being, any doubt about Paris vanishes into thin air.

She's certain Chloe is the right choice; the love of her life, her forever.

It takes everything in Beca not to get down on one knee, even without a ring, and ask Chloe to be her wife, right here, right now. She knows it's too soon, that they need to get through the learning to live together phase before thinking about moving to the next step.

Beca nods decidedly. "Yeah."

"I love you."

Beca hums against Chloe's lips when she kisses her. "And I, you."

 _/_

Beca sighs. Seriously, this shouldn't be so hard. Yet, here she is, sitting at the foot of her bed in the matching, purple underwear set she bought at Victoria Secret down on Fifth, pondering if she should look up _'Taking sexy pictures for your long-distance girlfriend, 101'_ online.

It's either that, or asking for Stacie's advice, and frankly, she would rather pass.

"Okay, you can do this, Mitchell," she utters to herself, moving to the center of her bed and propping herself against the pillows. She raises her phone above her head and snaps a few shots, nose crinkling as she shuffles through them a few seconds later. "This is supposed to turn her on, not scare her away."

It takes a few more pep-talks, about thirty different shots, before Beca eventually goes for a picture of her body length, knee bent and hand resting low on her stomach, showing off her assets and brand new lace. Opening Chloe's message thread, she uploads it and types a quick text.

 **Beca [5:45 PM]**

 _So I bought a little something today and I was wondering if you liked it._

Beca grimaces at how lame that sounds.

"Fuck it," she mutters, counting to three in her head before pressing send.

Chloe's photo pops up on her phone thirty seconds later, and Beca feels her breath catch in her throat as her shaky fingers accept the call while she sits up.

"Hey Chlo," she greets nonchalantly, grinning at Chloe's quick, audible breath down the line. "What's up?"

" _You're evil."_

"You didn't give me an answer." Beca fires back, knowing perfectly well Chloe can hear the smirk in her tone. "Do you like it?"

" _Fuck," Chloe hisses. "_ _ **Like**_ _is an understatement."_

Beca's whole body strums in anticipation. "So, um, what are _you_ wearing?"

Chloe lets out a small whine. _"Becs, I can't really... get into anything right now."_

"What? _Why?_ " Beca whimpers, shoulders slumping in disappointment.

They haven't seen each other in a month, and while they have been apart longer than that, Beca _needs_ to be with Chloe. It doesn't matter if it's on the phone or through the screen, she's _that_ desperate.

" _Aubrey is here."_ That explains Chloe's hushed tone.

"So? Can't she like, leave?" Beca closes her eyes briefly and exhales slowly to get herself under control. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude, I just... I'm kinda... um, horny? Like, ready to burst, horny?"

She tries not to be offended by Chloe's quiet laughing and feels her face starting to melt from the sudden rise of temperature in the room. _"I can't. She's... having some boy issue and doesn't want to be alone tonight."_

"Ugh," Beca grunts, dramatically flopping back on the mattress. "Chloeee."

She should be embarrassed to sound this needy, but at this point, she doesn't care.

" _I'm sorry,"_ Chloe whispers. _"I'll make it up to you, I promise. Let's um..."_ Chloe pauses. _"Let's Skype on Sunday night?"_

"I can't, I have this stupid press luncheon that will drag on into the evening over here."

" _Okay, okay. We'll find a moment, soon, I promise."_

" _Fine._ " A resigned sigh flits through Beca's lips. "I'll just take care of myself in the meantime, then."

She boasts a little bit from hearing Chloe groan. _"Not fair. How am I supposed to comfort Aubrey while I know you're doing that."_

Beca chuckles. "You figure it out. Say hi to Posen for me."

It sounds like Chloe is taking a collecting breath and Beca can't help but grin, despite her disappointment. _"I will. Don't have too much fun without me."_

"Never." Beca assures her, smiling softly. "Love you."

" _Love you, too. Bye."_

 _/_

 **Beca [10:30 AM]**

 _Are you trying to get me fat?_

 **My love ❤ [10:32 AM]**

 _What?_

 **Beca [10:32 AM]**

 _I received your care package. I thought we had a deal regarding those carambars._

 **My love ❤ [10:34 AM]**

 _Oops :D_

Beca sets her phone down to pull out the rest of the contents: a bag of snickers with a sticker that says _'You make me snicker :D'_ , a box of mints with one that says _'We are mint to be together 3',_ a box of tea displaying one with the question, _'Can you feel the passion',_ which is also the tea flavor.

Beca laughs and rolls her eyes, because her girlfriend is officially the biggest dork on earth. At the bottom of the box lie about a dozen of envelopes, all entitled, _'Open me when you feel...' each_ followed by a specific adjective depending on what mood Beca is in.

 **Beca [10:36 AM]**

 _I'm really tempted to open the 'when you feel kinky' envelope right now._

 **My love ❤ [10:37 AM]**

 _I was wondering how long you would last before opening that one ;)_

 **Beca [10:37 AM]**

 _I'll keep it for desperate times. It better be good._

 **My love ❤ [10:38 AM]**

 _You doubting it?_

Beca takes a deep breath; she doesn't have time to get into any of that, because she has a meeting in half an hour. She shoves the envelope in her bedside table drawer before she gives reason to her burning fingertips.

 **Beca [10:38 AM]**

 _No ;)_

 **Beca [10:38 AM]**

 _Thank you. I love every single thing in there and you're officially the best girlfriend ever._

 **My love ❤ [10:38 AM]**

 _You're welcome, baby. Have a good day at work! :) :) xoxo_

 _/_

The month of November that year is one of the craziest Beca has ever had to go through. She has multiple on-going projects to wrap-up by the end of the month, all the while take care of a bunch of administrative bullshit in order to open a second branch for the label in Paris in less than eight months.

On top of that, the artist she is currently working with is the biggest drama-queen she has ever met. He has been going on and on about how the quality of sound isn't how it is supposed to be and that's why his voice sounds off, all the while basically telling her that she isn't good at her job.

Beca has been nodding along, silently begging for any interruption to get out him out of her hair.

"Are you sure your software isn't acting up?" he asks, getting right into her personal space. Beca glares at him, silently hoping for his sake that he refrains from touching her computer or she might get violent.

Luckily for him, Beca's phone chimes with an incoming call and her girlfriend's face popping up on the screen is enough to tug her anger level to something she can control.

"If you'll excuse me one second, I've got an important call to take. Why don't you take a break and rest that precious voice of yours?" she mutters through gritted teeth, making a shooing motion with her hand towards the door. He falters, but gets the message and leaves a few seconds later, just as Beca accepts the call and raises the phone to her ear. "Hey Chlo."

" _Hi!"_ Chloe's tone is as chirpy as always and makes Beca smile. _"Is this a bad time? I know you're busy and can totes call you back later."_

"No, perfect timing, actually. You kept me from smacking an artist in the face and saved me some jail time."

" _Ooooh,"_ Chloe drawls out. _"Is Justin Bieber 2.0 acting up again?"_

"Acting up is an understatement. He's basically trying to tell me how to do my job so I told him to take a break. He's probably bugging his assistant to go get him a Caramel Macchiato, Venti, Skim, Extra Shot, Extra-Hot, Extra-Whip, Sugar-Free type of drink as we speak."

" _I'm sorry you have to go through that. I won't be your savior long though, because I have a friend's vernissage to get to so I'll be quick."_ Chloe rushes out. _"Question: how do you feel about cats?"_

"Um, I'm undecided." Beca drawls out, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

" _But you're not allergic, right?"_

"No." Beca chuckles, having a pretty good idea what this is about. "Why?"

" _My friend works at this shelter and she told me about three kittens who were abandoned in a shoe box this morning, out in the street. In a_ _ **shoe box**_ _, Becs."_

Beca rolls her eyes at her girlfriend's dramatics, but can't help but smile at how caring she always gets when it comes to animals. She hums in acknowledgment.

"What does that have to do with me?"

" _Well,"_ The unmistakable sheepishness in Chloe's tone tells Beca everything she needs to know. _"Since you are soon going to move in, and I'm still internally shrieking about that, by the way,"_ Chloe pauses, drawing a chuckle from Beca. _"I thought I would ask you if you didn't mind having a furry roommate."_

"Why do I have the feeling one of those kittens is already snuggled in your lap in your living-room?" Chloe's silence confirms Beca's suspicion, who can't help but laugh. She sighs, leaning back in her chair. "So what's our new friend's name?"

Chloe lets out a tiny squeal that makes Beca's heart flutter in her chest. _"I thought we could both decide on that, but he's a ginger, like me, and since you love The Aristocats and it also happens to be the name of a place close to my heart, I thought we could name him Toulouse."_

"I like it," Beca agrees with a fond smile. "I really do."

" _Toulouse, your Mama says she likes your name!"_ She hears Chloe gush, her voice sounding a bit farther away. Her stomach does a weird thing over Chloe calling her the name; not a bad thing, which is what concerns her a tiny bit. More like a sense of eagerness to, somewhere down the road, be that person to another human being, a product of she and Chloe's love. _"He's thrilled you like his name. He's purring like crazy."_

Beca hums. "How did you know I like the _Aristocats,_ anyway?"

" _You sing or hum Everybody Wants to Be a Cat_ _ **all**_ _the time, baby."_ Beca furrows her brow; she has never noticed that. _"It's cute."_

"Whatever." Beca mutters, not ready to admit she knows the cartoon front to back and could watch it every day for the rest of her life. "The bedroom is off limit to the little monster, yeah? I'm not having sex with you when he's in the same room."

" _But who am I going to cuddle with when I miss you?"_

"For fuck's sake." Beca grumbles, then heavies out a resigned sigh. "Yeah, okay. Just... he'll have to be shooed out when I'm here."

" _Deal."_

"Alright, I have to go deal with Doucheface."

" _Okay. I'll see you for our Skype date in a few days. Then you can meet Toulouse!"_

Beca chuckles at her girlfriend's overflowing excitement. "Sure."

" _Awes. He's totes adorbs, you'll see. Have a good day at work."_

"Wait!" Beca rushes out before Chloe hangs up. "Can you like, send me a picture of the little monster?"

" _Aw,"_ Chloe coos on the other end. _"Yeah, we'll try our best selfie as soon as I hang up."_

"K. Love you."

" _Love you, too."_

The promised selfie goes through just a minute later, their "fur baby" snuggled up in the crook of Chloe's neck. Beca grins and saves the picture as her new wallpaper, and tries to focus back on work as best as she can.

/

"Three time Grammy winner B. Mitchell, everyone!" Beca bows at the waist quickly, beaming at the crowd and waving at them as she walks to the other end of the stage to get down. "And now, let the countdown begin..."

Beca gives her microphone to the first person she finds and rushes down the steps towards the backstage area as the countdown for the new year begins, desperate to set her eyes on a particular redhead.

She spots Chloe twenty feet away, wrapped up in her big coat and gray beanie, eyes bright and smile big as Beca strides to her.

"Baby, that was amazing!"

Beca grins and curls her fingers into the lapels of Chloe's wool coat, tugging her against her body. "Yeah?"

Her mind buzzes with left over adrenaline from performing, the countdown being shouted at the top of thousands of people's lungs, and the sparkling blues staring back at her.

"3, 2, 1..." Brushing her nose against Chloe's cold and pink one, Beca presses her lips to hers in a searing kiss. "Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year, Chlo," she murmurs when they part, not resisting another soft kiss to Chloe's rosy lips.

"Happy New Year, love." Chloe husks out, looping her arms around Beca's neck to pull her into a tight embrace that sends a rush of warmth over Beca's length. Burying her nose in Chloe's hair, Beca lets out a content sigh, eager to start the new year.

Another Grammy nomination, a new album in the works, but most importantly, moving to Paris in just over six months.

Something tells her it's going this year is going to be a good one.

/

"Ouch." Beca hisses, features wrinkling up in pain. Her hair stylist glances at her through the mirror, releasing a bit of pressure on the strands of hair she's French braiding to the side of Beca's head.

"Sorry."

"Nah, you're fine, I'm just being a wuss," Beca rolls her eyes at herself, going back to thumbing through her phone.

 **My love ❤ [4:13 PM]**

 _Hi_

 **My love ❤ [4:13 PM]**

 _Are you busy?_

 **Beca [4:13 PM]**

 _Kinda. I'm performing tonight, babe_

 **Beca [4:13 PM]**

 _Is everything okay?_

 **My love ❤ [4:13 PM]**

 _Oh right, the radio thing. Sorry, I forgot._

 **Beca [4:14 PM]**

 _It's alright. Are you okay?_

 **My love ❤ [4:14 PM]**

 _Yeah_

Beca frowns, about to reply, but the three dots come up on her screen so she holds back.

 **My love ❤ [4:14 PM]**

 _No, not really? I feel blue._

Beca glances over her shoulder. "Hey Rach, how much time until I have to be on stage?"

Her assistant looks up from her own phone. "About twenty minutes."

"Okay, are you almost done?" she directs to her hair stylist this time.

"Give me three minutes."

When she's done, Beca asks them to give her ten minutes on her own to make a phone-call.

" _Hi,"_

"Hey baby," Beca greets softly.

" _I'm sorry for bugging you during an event."_

"You're not bugging me." Beca assures her quickly. "I've been thinking about you all day."

" _You have?"_

Beca hums in the affirmative. "Hard not to."

She frowns at the sob she hears down the line, followed by a, _"I'm sorry."_

"Don't be, baby. What's wrong?"

" _Nothing major, just a bad day. I wish you were here."_

"Me too, Chlo." Beca pauses to swallow the lump forming her throat. She hates it. Hates the fact that she's not just a drive away when Chloe doesn't feel okay. "Where's Toulouse?"

" _He's already out, sprawled out on top of me."_

Beca huffs. "Lucky bastard."

" _Bec, you can't insult our fur baby."_ She smiles at the sound of Chloe giggling down the line. _"Tell me about your day."_

"I bumped into Ed Sheeran earlier, asked me where _you_ were. You made quite the impression, Chlo."

" _Tell him I can send him an autograph if he wants one."_

"I'll be sure to pass the message along." Beca replies with a smile, glad to hear Chloe's voice lighting up. "We should go to Coachella again this year."

" _I thought you weren't performing?"_

"I'm not. I just thought we could go there to chill for a few days, listen to good music, make-out on the grass, sneak backstage to get free food and booze. You could take pictures and we could find a small cottage to stay in, do some wine tasting and hike in the Joshua Tree park, or something."

Chloe lets out a dreamy sigh. _"That sounds amazing."_

"I'll make some arrangements, then." She hears a soft knock at the door and sighs. "I have to go, I'm sorry."

" _It's okay. I'm almost falling asleep, anyway. Thank you for taking the time to call, Becs."_

"Always." Beca murmurs back. "Hey, Chlo?"

" _Yeah?"_

"Just under four months, now."

" _I know. Toulouse and I are super excited for you to move in with us."_

Beca squints. "Does Toulouse know the bedroom is off-limits once I do?"

" _He knows how whipped you are so he isn't worried."_

"Of _course_." Beca deadpans while Chloe laughs. She can't deny it; she's ultimately whipped with the both of them and even went as far as sending cat toys over the mail when Chloe first got him. "Give him a kiss for me."

" _I will. Have a good show. Love you."_

"Love you, too. Sweet dreams, baby."

/

 **Beca [6:39 AM]**

 _On my way_

 **My love ❤ [6:41 AM]**

 _OH MY GOSH_

 **My love ❤ [6:41 AM]**

 _I'm NOT crying._

 **My love ❤ [6:41 AM]**

 _3 3 3_

/

1113 days, 53 600 miles, 250 hours spent on airplanes, 153 Skype calls, 34 packages and letters, too many texts and photos to count.

As Beca steps off the plane, she finds herself reminiscing about those three years and a half.

How they have been the best of her life, professionally and personally.

How many more amazing years are yet to come, with new doors opening for her musical career and finally getting to officially start this life thing with Chloe after all those ups and downs.

Chloe, the stranger seemingly immune to Beca's glare and cold aura who had barreled through the thick walls protecting Beca's heart in less than a day.

Chloe, the bubbly and over-excited photographer who showed Beca the beauty of seeing the world through her lens and what if felt like to be in love and loved in return.

Chloe, the woman she will get to call her _wife_ , someday.

Heartbeat echoing in her ears, Beca turns the corner of baggage claim, not registering anything but a flash of red hair and a piercing squeal before Chloe collides into her with so much force that she staggers backwards and nearly falls on her ass.

She laughs into Chloe's neck, locking an arm tightly around her waist as she catches her balance. "Trying to get me injured before I even move in, Beale?"

"Oh, hush," Chloe whispers breathlessly, pulling away just enough to slant her lips across Beca's in a heated kiss. Recovering from the slight shock of being so thoroughly kissed in a public setting, Beca sinks her fingers into Chloe's red locks and responds just as eagerly. "You're here."

Beca blinks back the moisture gathering in her eyes and reaches out to brush her thumb over Chloe's cheek, catching a few tears sliding down. Her chest feels like it might explode any second now, swelling from a degree of happiness she has never experienced before.

She gives up any attempts to reign in her emotions and lets out a watery laugh, tugging Chloe closer and gently resting her forehead against hers. Her breathing hitches at the unrestrained joy reflected in Chloe's cerulean eyes, bright and shining with undeniable joy.

Her heart feels full as it settles back to a normal pace in her chest, beating calmly against her ribs.

"I'm here."

/

Beca's eyes slide open under the warm sun bathing the side of her face. She blinks hazily, once, twice, to adjust to the morning light and shed the remains of sleep from her clouded mind.

The window left open last night welcomes a gush of fresh air that moves throughout the room, pebbling Beca's arms and chest with countless goosebumps.

Sounds of the Parisian streets slowly coming to life down below drift inside as well, along with the smell of fresh bread coming from the bakey across from Chloe's building, waking Beca's senses one by one. Toulouse is purring by her feet, the one rule about him not sleeping in the bedroom when Beca moved in apparently forgotten.

Heaving out an unwinding sigh, Beca revels in that feeling of unrestrained contentment for a stretch.

Next to her, Chloe is still captive of Morpheus arms, face partly hidden by scattered red curls as she lies on her stomach, the light gray sheet having pooled to her waist sometime during the night and leaving her back uncovered.

Beca rolls onto her side, orbs dancing over smooth, pale skin, unevenly sprinkled with light freckles. Edging closer, she lies a tentative kiss on Chloe's shoulder, then another, brushing her lips over defined muscles.

She sees Chloe's hand twitch and hears her breathing hitch slightly, and pulls back just in time to catch the first flutter of Chloe's lids.

It's one of those rare mornings where Beca wakes up before Chloe, and she gets to witness Chloe's blue eyes slowly come to life, at first hazy and blurry with remains of dreamful sleep but only for a handful of seconds, before the smile tugging at Chloe's lips reaches them and then they sparkle, filled with countless of stars painted on a cloudless blue sky.

"Hi," Chloe husks out, voice thick with leftover slumber. A soft, happy sigh flees from her nose, as she blinks a couple times, as though to make sure Beca is really here.

"Morning," Beca murmurs, tone equally rusted. She leans in slowly, brushing Chloe's lips in a short kiss, one that drags her mind further away from the fog. Chloe's hand comes up to rest on her jaw, her thumb stroking lightly over the apple of her cheek as she draws Beca closer, into a deeper lip-lock. Rolling onto her back, Beca tugs Chloe on top of her, her body strumming upon feeling Chloe's naked body press against hers.

"As much as I like where this is going," Beca rasps out, wrapping her fingers around Chloe's wrist to stop her hand from venturing any more south than her chest. "I wanna do something."

"What?" Chloe asks, breaking from Beca's hold and lacing their fingers instead. Beca brings their intertwined hands to her lips and presses a light kiss on her knuckles.

"We need to get dressed for what I have in mind."

"Boo," Chloe pouts, drawing a light chuckle from Beca. "I was planning on staying in bed all day."

"Did you?" Beca hums. "I have to unpack the couple suitcases I brought with me."

"Oh right, I should clear you a drawer." Chloe purses her lips as she looks around the room in thought.

"A drawer only?" Beca snickers, fingers dipping under the sheet to tease the ticklish spot on Chloe's waist. "Good thing I didn't show up with my U-haul, then."

Most of her stuff is still in the apartment she shares in New York with Stacie and Jesse, her plan being to bring it over little by little each time she has to fly back to NYC for work.

Chloe lets out an exaggerated sigh. "And maybe a couple of hangers in the dresser."

Beca raises both eyebrows. " _Wow_ , now I feel special."

Chloe simply winks at her in reply.

"What did you have in mind?" She asks lightly, brushing a couple of strands of hair away from Beca's face. "Instead of staying in bed."

"You'll see." Beca lifts her head to press a kiss to the corner of Chloe's mouth. "Go get dressed."

"Shower first?" Chloe suggests, a faint glow of mischievousness dancing in her eyes. Beca rolls hers and huffs.

"If you insist."

After a long shower and debate over which camera to bring with (Chloe never goes out the door without a camera), they walk down the steps of Chloe's Haussman building and step out into the street. Beca loosely threads her fingers with Chloe, tugging her across the road and to the café tucked in the corner at the end of Chloe's street.

She orders two coffees and two croissants in the best French she can muster, flushing when she catches Chloe's impressed look.

"You, um, you remember that day we went to Montmartre for my photography lesson?" Beca asks, feeling like she should explain why it was so important to go out for breakfast. Chloe nods slowly. "You pointed out this couple through the window, and it was the simplest thing in the world. They were having coffee in this quaint little place and looked so happy. I couldn't help but long for something like that with you. Something as simple as coffee and croissants in the morning." Beca clears her throat when she feels it tickle with the emotions bubbling up in her chest. "So simple, yet it seemed so far away, like it belonged to a fantasy because I didn't know when or if we would ever live in the same city."

She takes a deep breath, giving the waiter a strained smile as he sets down the two cups and plates on the table, before looking back at Chloe. Her hand moves across the surface to slide into Chloe's.

"And now we're actually _here_ , and I still have to pinch myself that this is something we'll get to do nearly every day; have breakfast together." Beca lets out a half-laugh, half-sob, embarrassingly reaching up to swipe the back of her hand across her cheek when a tear spills out over the rim of her eye. "It might sound stupid, but it makes me unbelievably happy."

Chloe leans forward, resting her hand over Beca's neck and tugging her into a light, warm kiss.

"Je t'aime." It's no louder than a faint murmur, yet holds enough power to ignite Beca's whole body as it resonates down to her toes. "A la folie."

Beca smiles, the kind of smile that makes the corner of her eyes crinkle, the kind of smile that she knows shines right into her eyes. "I love you, too."

As she listens to Chloe plan their week-end and their next vacation over the summer, Beca still finds it hard to wrap her mind that this is no longer a fantasy.

That this time, there is no bitterness tinting her happiness in prospect of having to fly back home in a few days or weeks time.

No question about when they will get to see each other next or if they are strong enough to last the distance.

"Becs?" Beca shakes her head out of her reverie and glances at Chloe to find her staring at her with her head tilted in slight question. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Beca nods, wrapping her fingers around Chloe's and squeezing them lightly in reassurance. "More than okay."

She is in Paris, and she is here to stay, in the city where it all started. A place that she now thinks of as home, a place where past memories will tangle with the ones that have yet to be made.

It's just the beginning of a new chapter to their story, and Beca can't wait to see it unfold.

She has the inkling it's bound to be incredible.


	4. Snapshots

Beca comes to with a soft, content sigh, eyes slowly blinking into focus. The sun is already up in the sky, its rays filtering in the room through the partially open blinds.

The clock reads 8:12 am. She would sleep an hour or two more, but she knows that's unlikely.

She should be thankful enough that their two monsters let them sleep past seven, anyway. Just like Chloe, their children are early-risers and are usually up at the crack of dawn, to Beca's dismay.

They partied a little bit too hard at Aubrey's birthday party yesterday, the kids staying up until one am, which is probably why Beca can't hear anything going on down the hall.

"Morning," Beca hums sleepily in reply, smiling as she feels Chloe burrow closer, tugging Beca tight against her front. A pair of warm lips press a quick kiss to Beca's shoulder in the same greeting as nearly every morning for the last thirteen years.

Thirteen years. Beca remembers it as if it were yesterday; the day she woke up in Chloe's apartment wrapped up in a blanket of unrestrained happiness at the knowledge that she was in Paris to stay.

" _What if she says no?" Beca hisses into the receiver of her phone, stealing glances towards Chloe's building front door to make sure Chloe isn't coming out. The hand that isn't holding the phone to her ear is jammed into her leather jacket pocket, nervously fiddling with the square velvet box at the bottom._

" _She's not going to say no." Stacie replies with a hint of annoyance in her tone, and Beca knows she's rolling her eyes. "You guys are meant to be together, and you waited a year to see how things worked out in Paris. Trust me, you're ready for that step."_

" _Yeah, okay," Beca puffs out a breath, nodding to herself as she paces in a small circle over the paved street. "Okay. Wish me luck."_

 _She sort of blacks out from the moment Chloe meets her downstairs. She looks beautiful, clad in a simple blue sleeveless blouse, faded black jeans rolled up to her ankles and white sneakers on her feet. Her hair is woven in a loose braid that rests upon her shoulder and Beca feels all the air being stolen from her lungs at the sight of her girlfriend._

 _Hopefully soon-to-be fiancée._

 _She doesn't remember much of dinner, or the walk to Chloe's old building. She knows Chloe is onto her, despite Beca insisting that she wants to check out the view because it's a beautiful night._

 _And then she's on her knee, lovingly staring up at Chloe, whose hand flies up to her mouth in shock despite the fact that she probably expected it. Beca swallows her nerves back down and toys with the black box now held in her hand._

" _Chloe," she starts, the corners of her mouth curling upwards into a smile. Chloe is already crying, and a light chuckle escapes Beca's lips. "I don't think I'll ever forget the day I met you. You were unexpected and everything I didn't know I needed; and saying yes to you showing me around your beautiful city was one of the three best decisions I've made in my life." Beca pauses and exhales slowly, the nerves slowly leaving her body to dissipate into the crisp October evening air. "The second was moving out here to Paris a year ago and getting to wake up to the love of my life every single morning. The third is... this one, right now, if you'll do me the honor of becoming my wife. So..."_

" _Yes."_

 _Beca sends Chloe a playful glare for interrupting her. "Chlo, I need to ask the question, first."_

" _Right, sorry." Chloe croaks out sheepishly, a watery laugh flitting through her lips as she swipes the backs of her hand across both cheeks._

 _Beca smiles shakily, blinking away the tears fogging her vision. She opens the box with trembling hands, revealing the round cut diamond sitting on a platinum band she picked up over a year ago in New York City. Simple and elegant, just like Chloe. "Chloe, you are my best friend, my light, my everything. What I wanted to ask you tonight is, will you be my forever as well?"_

" _Yes," Chloe chokes out, squeezing Beca's hand. "Of course I will."_

 _Beca grins, fumbling a little bit to pluck it out of the box and extends her free hand to take Chloe's. She slides the ring on Chloe's fingers, pressing her lips to it._

" _Come up here," Chloe breathes out, tugging Beca up to capture her lips in a heart-melting kiss, her fingers curling into the lapels of Beca's jacket. "I love you."_

" _I love you, too." Beca whispers across Chloe's mouth, placing another soft kiss to her lips before she moves behind Chloe, looping her arms around her waist as they look at the Eiffel tower, standing proud and bright among rows of rooftops under the starry sky._

" _You're such a romantic, Beca Mitchell," Chloe murmurs, leaning back against her as soft, content sigh leaves her body._

" _Yeah, yeah," Beca rolls her eyes good-naturally, brushing a kiss across Chloe's exposed neck. "Don't go spreading that around, Beale."_

" _Soon to be Mitchell," Chloe corrects as she turns around, draping her arms over Beca's shoulders. She quirks a curious eyebrow. "Unless you want to take **my** name?"_

 _Beca hums in thought. "I haven't thought this through. I was too nervous about asking you to think about the semantics."_

" _Like I would have said no." Chloe scoffs, eyes rolling towards the sky. She brushes her lips against Beca's in a teasing manner. "Wanna go home and celebrate?"_

 _Beca grins. "Heck yeah."_

Beca stirs onto her back, then onto her side, and kisses Chloe lightly, her hand trailing up and down Chloe's side beneath her sleep shirt.

"Happy anniversary, baby."

Beca makes a show of widening her eyes as she backs away. "Shit, it's _today_?"

Chloe rolls hers, unimpressed. "You're not even believable."

Beca shrugs. "Nah, as if I would forget the time I got to put a ring on this." She says, waving a hand over Chloe's body. Chloe beams, capturing Beca's lips in a kiss that wakens every single one of Beca's senses. "Happy anniversary, Chlo."

Beca licks her lips, her fingers toying with the waistband of Chloe's sleep shorts. "How much time do you think we have before one of them wakes up?"

Chloe hums, chasing Beca's lips into another kiss, one that leaves Beca short of breath. Chloe rolls on top of her, mischief dancing in her sparkling blue eyes. God, she's beautiful. "I'm going to say we should make things quick."

Just as her lips lean in to claim Beca's, a faint knock is heard at the door. Beca groans, head flopping back on the pillows. "Little scoundrels."

"Beca," Chloe chastises with a quiet gasp, moving off Beca and casting her attention to the door. "Come in."

The door opens and Juliette steps in, light brown hair disheveled with sleep, dragging her plush bunny behind her.

"Hey baby," Beca greets softly as Juliette climbs onto the bed and snuggles up in the space between them, eyes still heavy with sleep. "Sleep good?"

The seven-year-old nods, slipping her thumb into her mouth as she stares up at Beca with the same shade of blues as Chloe's.

" _I can't stop staring at her," Chloe whispers in awe as their daughter coos at her breast, contently suckling away. For the umpteenth time in the last three days, Beca feels her heart swell in her chest and tears prick behind her eyes._

" _She's so small," she murmurs just as quietly from her spot next to Chloe as they both sit on the bed, their backs resting against the headboard. She runs her thumb over the top of Juliette's bare feet, her eyes running over her ten perfect little toes. "Yet so loud."_

 _She and Chloe share a tired chuckle at that. The first two nights haven't been the most resting, and it's now three am and Juliette has woken up twice already._

" _Yeah, she's got a good set of lungs on her," Chloe muses, waving their daughter's small hand around. Juliette's lids droop as she fights sleep. "I think she's almost out."_

" _Yay, maybe we can rest our eyes for twenty minutes," Beca whispers victoriously. "I'll take her, you rest. You're the one who did all the job."_

" _Don't forget to burp her," Chloe says as she carefully transfers the newborn to Beca's arms once she's done._

" _I know, I read the book." Beca deadpans. "Rest, Chlo. That's an order." She throws her wife a smile before she leaves the room to cross the hall towards the nursery. She paces around the small room for a few minutes, Juliette resting on her chest as she rubs small circles along her back until she burps._

" _Oh you don't want to sleep yet, do you?" Beca says with a quiet laugh as Juliette's baby blue eyes stare up at her once she has cradled her in the crook of her elbow. "Okay, will a song work? A song for at least an hour of sleep? Is that a good bargain for you?" Juliette gurgles in response and Beca takes that as an agreement. "Deal."_

 _She settles in the rocking chair nestled in the corner and kicks the floor with her foot to get it going to a slow rhythm as she starts to sing._ _"_ _Dans les jardins de mon père, Les lilas sont fleuris;_ _  
_ _Tous les oiseaux du monde, Viennent y faire leurs nids. Auprès de ma blonde qu'il fait bon dormir._ _"_

 _She sings until she's sure Juliette is sleeping soundly. "Sorry about the accent. Your maman is the French master here, not me."_

 _She carefully sets Juliette down in her crib, taking a few minutes just to gaze at her despite the fact that she might drop from exhaustion soon._

" _I love you, sweet pea."_

 _Crawling back into bed, Beca falls limp into the mattress with a grunt. Chloe instantly snuggles into her side, throwing an arm over Beca's middle. A content sigh flits through Beca's lips as she runs her hand up and down Chloe's forearm._

" _Becs, we have a **baby**." _

_Beca breathes out a chuckle. "Are you only realizing that now or...?"_

" _No, you asshat. I'm just... I can't believe it."_

 _Beca turns on her side, finding Chloe's twinkling eyes in the semi darkness. "Me either. We're parents. To an actual human being, not just a dumb cat anymore."_

" _Beca!" Chloe hisses but even through the hushed tone, Beca can tell she's trying not to laugh. "Toulouse isn't dumb."_

" _No you're right. He's too smart. I think he's been plotting my murder ever since I took his spot in your bed six years ago."_

" _You're an idiot."_

" _Mmm. You finally figured that out?" Beca manages through a yawn. "Why are we chatting when our daughter is finally asleep?"_

" _Right, right, let's sleep."_

" _Hey Chlo?" Beca asks after a few seconds of staring at the ceiling. Somehow now she can, sleep doesn't come easily and her brain starts to reel. Chloe hums. "We're gonna nail this parenting thing, right?"_

 _She feels her wife's warm lips on her shoulder, stretched in a smile. "Of course we are. Not a doubt in my mind."_

They are.

At least, Beca thinks so. They have two _amazing_ kids and if she were to do it again from the start, she would do it exactly the same way.

"You're still sleepy, huh? Danced too much last night, Jules?" Beca teases as she tickles Juliette's side lightly, rewarded with a string of giggles that make her heart glow.

"What are we doing today?" Juliette asks breathlessly once Beca takes pity on her and stops tickling her. Her eyes switch back and forth between Chloe and Beca.

"Well, today is a special day," Chloe starts, glancing at Beca with a smile.

"Why?" Juliette questions with a frown.

"Maman and I got married eleven years ago today."

"Eleven years?" Juliette gasps, sitting up. "That's a looooong time."

"It is, especially being married to you mom." Chloe quips with a grimace.

Beca gasps, feigning offense while Juliette snickers. "Chlo."

"Maman was really pretty huh, mommy?" Juliette says. "On your wedding day."

" _Getting cold feet yet?" Beca glares at Stacie through the mirror she stands in front of, adjusting the white rose to the side of her navy jumpsuit. She focuses back on her task and turns around when she's done, grabbing her earrings to put them on._

" _Nope." And she isn't. Honestly, she can't wait to be married to Chloe, to call Chloe her wife and for Chloe to call Beca hers. "I'm good. You got the rings, right?"_

 _Stacie freezes and pats her suit pockets, shoulders easing the tension a second later. "Phew."_

 _Beca clenches her teeth, eyes shrinking to a menacing squint. Stacie only cackles. "I would have **killed** you. No, scratch that, **Aubrey** would have killed you." _

_Aubrey, not only Chloe's maid of honor but their crazy wedding-planner as well, insisted that this wedding would go without a hitch and she would personally go after anyone that jeopardizes that._

 _A knock on the door makes Beca's expression soften. "Come in."_

 _Speaking of the devil. Aubrey pops her head in, headset on her ears. "It's almost eighteen hundred hours."_

" _Can you stop speaking in military time?" Beca whines. "It confuses the fuck out of me."_

" _Sorry, I'm just doing it the French way." Aubrey shrugs. "Ten minutes until six o'clock. You should make your way to the arch."_

" _Right, right." Beca mutters, only getting slightly nervous. Not about marrying Chloe, but about messing up her vows, or tripping on her feet as they walk out or – no. It would be fine. "How is Chloe?"_

 _Aubrey's tight, military-like features slip away to let a beaming smile surface. "You're gonna lose your shit when you see her, Mitchell."_

 _After another pep-talk from herself to herself, Beca stands before Jesse, who got ordained online to marry she and Chloe. Stacie is next to her as they wait under the arc of flowers at the back of Chloe's childhood garden, the place where she realized she was in love with Chloe all those years ago._

 _As she hears their guests let out a collective gasp, Beca can't resist turning around to watch Chloe walk down the aisle. Tears instantly spring to Beca's eyes as Chloe steps closer, clad in her simple but elegant wedding dress. Her hair is up and pinned in soft curls at the back of her head, a thin flower crown woven through it at the front._

 _Beca gulps as she takes Chloe's hands into hers, a few tears tumbling down her cheeks despite her trying really hard to hold them back. The ceremony hasn't even started and she's already **crying**. _

" _Baby," Chloe breathes out through an affectionate laugh, letting one of Beca's hands go to wipe her tears away._

 _Beca shakes her head and inhales shakily. "You look so beautiful, Chlo."_

Beca nods with a grin, looking atop their daughter's head to meet Chloe's sparkling eyes. "She was absolutely gorgeous."

"Can I see the video again?" Juliette requests, tugging Beca out of her daze. Beca thinks there's not a more perfect day to take a little trip down memory lane. She nods and reaches for her phone on the bedside table, thumbing through it until she finds the video on her Cloud. She tips the device horizontally and shuffles closer, pressing start to the four minute long video showing the highlights of the day. "You look beautiful too, mommy."

"Thanks baby," Beca whispers, dropping a kiss into Juliette's hair. Chloe leans in to press a kiss to her shoulder, her head resting there a second later as Beca feels a happy sigh leave her wife's body.

When she video ends, Beca puts her phone away. "Alright, Jules, wanna come down with me to the boulangerie to get some croissants?"

"Yes!"

She's mostly excited because the owner gives free candy to the kids coming into her shop.

"Alright, go get your brother, he'll want to come, too."

"K!"

Juliette scrambles off the bed, socks skidding along the hardwood floor as she hurries out of the room to get Mattheo.

"What do you think, picnic at Jardins des Plantes? Maybe before that we can go hang out at the natural history museum?"

Chloe nods, snuggling into Beca's side. "The kids will love that."

"Mommy! We're ready!" Comes their daughter's voice mere minutes later, breaking a kiss that got slightly out of hand.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Beca sighs and pecks Chloe's lips one last time before she gets out of bed, pulling her tank top over her head to put on a bra. She catches Chloe looking at her with that look and feels flush surface on her face and neck. "What?"

Chloe rolls onto her stomach and hugs Beca's pillow, setting her chin on top of it as an adoring smile spreads over her face. The type of smile that makes Beca wonder how on earth she got so lucky. "You're showing."

Beca looks down at the light, almost imperceptible swell of her stomach, her hand instinctively resting over it as she gapes in awe. "I hadn't noticed."

Chloe licks her lips, her eyes roaming higher. "Your boobs have gotten bigger, too."

"Alright, woman, stop gawking at me," Beca half-heartedly placates as she throws her tank top towards Chloe's face, the familiar pull in her stomach definitely heightened by her hormones. She quickly put on the first bra she finds, that feels indeed a bit tight, and throws on a blouse. "You suck. Now I'm turned on."

"More than a few minutes ago you mean?"

Beca throws her wife a heatless glare as she slides into her jeans. At least those still fit. For now. "See you in a bit."

As the three of them step into the bakery, Beca taps her daughter's shoulder. "You want to be the one to order today, baby?"

As English is the language spoken at home, she and Chloe encourage their children to speak French whenever they interact with other people. They agreed on this system when Chloe was pregnant with Juliette; English would be spoken with them and French with the nanny, at the daycare and at school.

Juliette and Mattheo picked up on French awfully fast and are equally at ease in both languages, like Chloe. After thirteen years in the country, Beca is fluent, but still drags the hint of an accent that Chloe insists is very sexy.

After their quick five-minute trip to the shop, the three of them come home with bag of croissants and three baguettes. Chloe is up and setting up the table by the time they make it through the front door of their home, a two story house they purchased just over seven years ago.

" _This house used to be an sculptor workshop in the nineteenth century, which explains the big windows and the high ceilings. It was home to a painter after that, until the second world war. The family living in it now is moving to the south of France, hence the sell." The realtor explains as Beca and Chloe stand in the massive living-room, in awe of their surroundings._

 _The hardwood floors, the apparent beams in the ceiling, the secluded garden and courtyard, the open, completely functional kitchen, the large dining room and the built-in book shelves... everything about the house is a masterpiece of old and new perfectly blended together._

" _I'll let you guys look around. Take all the time you need and come see me if you have any questions."_

 _They already had a crush on the place from the pictures they saw online this morning, and immediately called in to set up a viewing with the agency. The house is ideally located, in Chloe's favorite arrondissement in Paris, close to the gallery and Beca's studio, as well as a few parks within walking distance where they could take their kids._

" _Beca," Chloe croaks out when they reach the beautiful master bedroom, all hardwood floors and white walls with french doors that lead into the courtyard. There's an insuite bathroom with two sinks, an italian shower and a bath._

 _It's the cherry on the cake after the three other appropriate-sized bedrooms down the hall and the office._

 _Beca nods knowingly, taking everything in._

" _It's perfect," she says quietly. Chloe turns to her with tears swimming in her eyes._

" _It's a little bit over our price range." She points out rightfully, and Beca nods as she comes to a stop in front of her, setting her hands on her hips._

" _It is, but we can manage. I don't think I'll like any other place as much as this one." She looks around some more and smiles at her wife. "I can see our children grow up here." Beca marks her words by moving her hand over the light swell of Chloe's bump. "Playing in the garden or coming with us to the boulangerie across the street to get croissants and bread. We'll all have breakfast at the big kitchen island and everyone will have their own room."_

 _Chloe's tears, probably partly produced by her pregnancy hormones, fill her eyes to the brim. "How many kids do you plan on us having exactly, Beca Mitchell?"_

 _Beca shrugs, pecking Chloe's lips. "A couple at least. Maybe three? I feel like three is a good number."_

 _Chloe shakes her head, but the megawatt grin exploding on her face tells Beca she's down. She lets her hand flit down to rest over Beca's on her stomach. "Let's have this one first, K?"_

" _Just a few more months." Beca grins. "I can't wait."_

" _Me either. Past the terrifying knowledge that I'll have to push it out."_

" _I have no doubt you'll be aca-amazing." After being together for seven years, it was bound to happen at some point; Beca now finds herself saying **totes** and **aca-somethings** on a daily basis. "So what do you say? Should we take the house?" _

_Chloe nods, chocking on a watery laugh. "I think I'm in love with it. I can already picture what frames to put where and the baby's bedroom across the hall and – are you sure we can?"_

" _Yeah. We'll just have to stick around in France until the kids are through college. Much less expensive out here."_

" _Bec,"_

" _I'm kidding. Yes, we can afford the house, and we'll also be able to afford Harvard or something as expensive three times if we have to."_

" _Okay." Chloe kisses Beca soundly, catching her slightly off guard. "I love you."_

" _I love you, too."_

"Not so fast little man," Chloe's voice pulls Beca out of her musings. Their four-year-old son freezes midway through climbing on the chair, squealing when Chloe scoops him up horizontally into her arms. "Where's my morning kiss?"

Mattheo giggles as Chloe peppers his face with kisses before setting him down. "Mornin' maman."

Chloe brushes another kiss to his forehead. "Sleep good?"

"Yep! Can I have OJ please?" He asks, reaching inside the paper bag to take a croissant.

"Sure." Chloe says, eyeing Beca as she helps herself to freshly brewed coffee.

"What?" Beca asks innocently while Chloe pours two glasses of orange juice. "The OBGYN said I was allowed one cup a day."

"And half a glass of wine, I know," Chloe says with a sigh, coming up behind Beca to wraps her arms around her waist once she gave the kids their glasses. "Sorry, you're right. It's just a reflex."

"You know how grumpy I get without my morning cup. Or my good morning kiss," Beca adds, turning slightly to silently demand one, which Chloe obliges with a light chuckle.

"Gross!" They break apart to find Mattheo with both hands over his eyes, peeking through his fingers.

"You guys already kissed this morning, too, I saw. So technically it's not a good morning kiss," Juliette pipes up from her spot next to her brother, taking a bit of her pain au chocolat.

"What is this, the kissing police?" Beca asks their kids with an amused smirk, setting her hands on her hips as Chloe plants a kiss to her cheek before joining Juliette and Mattheo at the table.

"You'll both see, when you kiss the girl or boy you like. You're not going to want to stop."

"And you're not going to do that for a little while either," Beca grumbles into her coffee cup.

"Thimothée kissed me the other day, I don't see what the big fuss is about." Juliette announces with a shrug around a mouthful of her breakfast.

" _What?_ " Beca squeaks, nearly spitting out her sip of coffee.

"Becs, it's a primary school kiss, chill out." Chloe tells her with a pointed look that makes Beca's reconsider panicking over this and calling said Thimothée's parents.

"I know, I know." Beca lets out with a soft sigh. "Alright kids, when you're done with breakfast we're gonna go hang out at the museum, how does that sound?"

"We're going to see the dinosaurs?!" Mattheo' blue eyes – identical to Chloe's – light up in excitement and he looks down at his half-eaten croissant, as though wondering which is more worth it, the dinosaurs, or breakfast.

Beca chuckles. "Yep. Finish your breakfast though, the dinosaurs are really not going anywhere."

" _Oh my god, he's a dinosaur!" Beca gushes through the screen when the calls comes through, a beaming smile exploding across her face as Chloe holds their son in front of the computer. He's wearing the purple dinosaur onesie – with a hood – Beca couldn't resist buying when they went baby shopping. "Hi little guy! Hi!"_

" _Can you wave to Mommy?" Chloe asks as Mattheo rocks on his feet as he stands on the carpet floor, supported by Chloe. "Say hi to Mommy."_

 _Mattheo only coos in response, shoving his fist into his mouth. "Close enough." Beca laughs. "I miss you guys."_

" _We miss you, too. Only a week left, babe."_

" _I know," Beca says with a soft sigh, looking out the window of the penthouse they own in New York City that they use for business trips and holidays. Two weeks is the longest she has been away from Chloe since she moved to Paris and she's gotten rusty dealing with the distance. "It seems forever ago when we used to Skype every Friday night."_

" _I know. You miss it?" Chloe asks with a teasing smile, a cautious eye on Mattheo as he crawls away. She snatches him back, blowing a raspberry into his neck that has him belly laughing so hard it has both Chloe and Beca crack a grin._

" _I miss the sexy pictures," She grimaces the second she says it. "Is that creepy to say in front of our ten-month-old?"_

 _Chloe rotates her palm halfheartedly as if to say, **little bit**. _

" _And the airport reunions."_

" _Aw, you're so mushy Becs."_

 _Beca rolls her eyes. "It's your fault, Beale."_

 _Chloe grins in response. "It's Mitchell now."_

 _A week and a nine-hour-flight later, Beca lands in Charles De Gaulle airport, faltering upon seeing Chloe standing on the other side of baggage claim with Mattheo in her arms and Juliette by her side. Her daughter is waving a sign that says Mommy with a lot of hearts and Beca just about breaks down right there._

 _(luckily her rapidly clouding eyes are hidden behind her anti-paparazzi sunglasses.)_

" _Mommy!" She crouches down in time to sweep the running four-year-old into her arms._

" _Oh my gosh, I've missed you so much munchkin." She says, peppering her daughter's face with kisses after lifting her shades. "Did you look after Maman and Matty like we talked about?"_

 _Juliette beams. "Yep!"_

" _Good job, Jules." She picks her daughter up and props up on her hip as she takes a few strides to meet with the rest of her family. This wasn't planned, as Chloe was supposed to be working at the time Beca landed. She lies a kiss atop Mattheo's head and one on Chloe's lips. "Airport reunion, huh?"_

 _Chloe's lips curve into a smile as she half-shrugs. "For old times sake."_

"Mommy, you ready?" Mattheo shouts from his spot twenty feet away. Beca twists her head, focusing back on her son after spending a minute observing Chloe teach Juliette how to use a camera.

"Show me what you got, little man!" She says, watching fondly as Mattheo starts his run-up to the soccer ball and kicks it with as much force as he can muster. Beca jogs to where it lands and kicks it back gently. "Okay, how about a snack break, dude? Mommy needs a breather."

After giving Mattheo a juice pouch and a brioche, Beca closes her eyes, resting her head against the trunk of the tree she's leaning on, her legs extended in front of her.

She hears the telltale sound of a photo being snapped and opens one eye. "What are you up to, you two?"

"I'm putting you in the memory box!" Juliette exclaims proudly, lowering the small camera she got for her birthday. "Cause Maman says making memories is important."

Beca hums, squinting up at Chloe, who snaps a photo of her with her own camera.

"What?" Chloe says, innocence tainting her tone as she walks to Beca and lies down to rest her head in her lap. She grabs Beca's hand and kisses her palm. "I'm not allowed to take a photo of my beautiful wife?"

The top of Beca's cheeks warm up under Chloe's adoring gaze. Her eyes fall on Chloe's wedding ring, a simple platinum band that matches Beca's.

" _What are you doing, you weirdo?" Beca's nose crinkles in a grimace as she shields her face from Chloe's camera. "No pictures."_

 _Chloe seems to take pity of her and lowers her camera, letting it hang around her neck as Beca pushes off the brick wall. Chloe catches her fingers and pulls her back into her, stealing a kiss from her lips. "That's the deal if you marry a photographer y'know."_

 _Beca groans. "Damn. Too late to backtrack now?"_

" _Fraid so," Chloe grins, wrapping her free arm around Beca's shoulder and squeezing Beca against her. "You're stuck with me."_

" _Get off," Beca grumbles playfully, shoving Chloe's shoulder. "Speaking of the wedding," she pauses, catching a strand of Chloe's hair when a whisk of wind makes it fly in front of her face. She tucks it behind Chloe's ear, fingertips trailing along her jaw. "Do you want to pick wedding bands today?"_

" _I'd love that," Chloe grins. They've been strolling around Brooklyn with no destination in mind, making the most of Beca's day off after a hectic week of performances at Radio City Hall._

" _Hi! What can I help you with today?"_

" _We're looking for wedding bands." Chloe says as she steps up to the counter. The man behind the counter nods and shows them his selection of wedding bands._

" _Is it possible to have the inside engraved?" Beca asks once they have agreed on a simple platinum design._

" _Absolutely. What would you like?"_

 _Chloe is looking at her in curiosity and Beca smiles, shrugging. "I thought we could um... maybe engrave the coordinates of Paris and New York on the inside?"_

" _You're serious?"_

" _Yeah. I mean, the cities are both important to us and it's where the big milestones in our relationship took place so I thought it would be a nice touch." Beca's face scrunches up. "That's too cheesy, isn't it?"_

 _Chloe chuckles lightly and leans in to kiss her sweetly. "It is, but I love it."_

"What's on your mind?" Chloe asks softly as Beca runs her pointer finger over her wife's wedding band.

Steel blues slide up to meet ocean ones. "You."

Chloe puffs out a tiny laugh, the corner of her eyes crinkling as she flees away from Beca's gaze.

"I just sometimes can't believe this is my life. That I got to marry you and that we have these beautiful children. I feel like this is straight out of a Nicholas Sparks book." Beca lets out a disbelieving chuckle. "I'm one lucky asshole."

"Becs, language," Chloe chastises lightly, glancing pointedly towards Juliette and Mattheo who are lying on the grass just ten feet away. They both abandoned the soccer ball and the camera to look at the clouds, and Beca can hear them speaking in French to each other.

"Sorry." She whispers, offering an apologetic smile. Her fingers feather through copper hair back and forth, pulling a soft, content sigh from Chloe. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Chloe murmurs with a soft smile. "A la folie."

" _Chloe, when I decided to get on a plane to Paris all these years ago, I wasn't expecting to fall head over heels for someone in just a few days. But then I met you and that fact quickly proved inevitable. You captured my heart with your passion, your kindness and the way you see the world. You are my best friend, my light, my smile. My everything. And I can't wait to get on this life journey with you."_

 _Beca exhales shakily to keep her emotions in check, letting one of Chloe's hand go to twist and take the ring laid in Stacie's palm. She slides it onto Chloe's ring finger, her watery eyes fluttering up to meet Chloe's._

 _"With this ring, I promise to always be by your side, through good and bad. I promise to always be the best version of myself. I promise to love you unconditionally."_

 _Jesse clears his throat, as though he too needs to get rid of the tremor in his voice. "Chloe?"_

 _Beca feels a light squeeze to her hand. "Beca, I remember the day you spilled coffee on me like it was yesterday." Beca chuckles along with the rest of their friends. "I remember how my world slowed down until it was just you and me standing there, with our shirts both stained and you trying to string one French word after another. It seemed impossible at first, didn't it? I lived in Paris, you lived in New York. But somehow, we made it and we're standing here today in front of our friends and family and I can't quite wrap my head around how lucky I am to be loved by someone like you."_

 _The waver in Chloe's voice has more tears spring into Beca's eyes._

 _"Someone so selfless, so inspiring and beautiful, inside and out. I can only hope to make you as happy as you make me." Chloe chokes on a strangled sob and slides the wedding band on Beca's finger, lifting Beca's hand to her mouth to press her lips to it. "Je t'aime. A la folie."_

" _I love you, too." Beca mouths._

" _By the power invested me by ," Jesse resumes, smiling fondly at Beca and Chloe. "I now pronounce you married. You may kiss."_

" _Finally," Beca breathes out, tugging Chloe to her and in one swift motion, capturing her lips for a kiss that is bound to sear into her mind for eternity; their first as a married couple._

 _Chloe is her wife, and that realization alone propels Beca's soul to a cloud of bliss._

 _And it's just the beginning._

 _-fin-_


End file.
